Son of the Sea God
by Sassenach082
Summary: Zeus kills Sally Jackson with his master bolt when Percy is six months old, drastically changing Percy's life and the course of his future. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**: This is an idea I've been toying with for a while. I started writing this in hopes of dispelling my writer's block on my _Supernatural _stories, and this was the result. Anyway I couldn't find any that sounded much like this, so I figured I'd give it a shot with my idea.

**Disclaimer**: All belongs to Rick Riordan, folks. Sadly…

/

**Chapter One**  
Betrayal

For the first time in many hours, it was quiet inside the tiny New York apartment. Outside the night was still and quiet, the faint hum of busy New York streets the only sound disturbing the night.

The sudden wail of a newborn shattered the stillness like a gunshot. With a jolt, the dark-haired woman sat bolt upright and threw off her covers, braving the cold as she hurried towards her son's room. Dark circles marred the skin beneath her eyes, and had ever since bringing her newborn son, Percy, home from the hospital. Her hair was in constant disarray, sticking up in all directions, and she was the most exhausted she had ever been in her life.

"Oh, how I wish you were here," she whispered into the night, thinking of Poseidon as she hurried to his son.

Percy was wailing loudly, waving his arms around as he screwed up his face and screamed for all it was worth.

Sally scooped him up and cradled his tiny form in her arms, making soothing noises as she danced around his room, frantically trying to get the noise to stop. The next-door-neighbors banged loudly on the wall, startling the baby into louder cries.

"Helpful," she muttered, glaring at the wall as she struggled to soothe his tears.

After long minutes of crying, Percy finally started to settle, blinking up at her with sea-green eyes from under his tuft of dark hair.

"You look _so _much like your daddy," she whispered with a loving smile, tenderly kissing his brow as her tiredness was rapidly forgotten. From the moment her little baby had been born, he'd become the most important person in her entire world. She loved him more than life.

When Percy was finally settled and rapidly getting sleepy, she settled him into his crib with its undersea-themed mattress pad and turned on his fish and seahorse mobile. He made a happy little noise, stretching his hands up towards the animals as he yawned hugely and smacked his lips together. Just like that, his little eyes closed, and seconds later he was asleep.

Sally sighed in relief and sat in the rocking chair, suddenly too exhausted to stand. Fear gnawed in her gut as she remembered one of the last conversations Poseidon had had with her.

"_Sally, please," he said softly, his eyes turning stormy as his gentle hands grasped her shoulders. "I _cannot _protect you both up here. They will come for the baby. Their scent will be strong. They will not be safe up here. Let me take you with me, into the ocean. None will harm you there."_

"_Poseidon, I don't belong in a palace beneath the sea," she said gently, reaching up to cup his cheek._

_His eyes closed, his expression akin to agony. "I cannot stay, love," he told her in a rough voice, squeezing her shoulders just a little tighter. "Zeus and the ancient laws forbid it."_

_Sally bit back her tears and stepped into him, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her face to his chest. He was warm, solid, real. The scent of the sea clung to him, singing to her as she struggled to control the welling emotions in her chest. His arms came around her, holding her tightly to him._

_No one had ever made her feel this safe, or this loved._

_But she knew with perfect clarity that this __—__ what they had __—__ couldn't last forever. He wasn't hers to keep. He belonged to the sea. No, he _was _the sea. _

_Untamable, unpredictable, powerful. _

_And yet, for all his power, gentle __—__ always gentle._

"_I know you can't stay," she whispered brokenly, squeezing him tighter. Gods, she didn't want him to go. She wanted him to stay with her, to see their child born and raise their son or daughter alongside her._

"_There is one place," said Poseidon heavily, not pulling away. He tightened his arms when she tried to pull back, desperate to keep her there with him. Just for a little while longer. "One place where our child will be safe," he expanded._

_Sally tilted her head so that she could study his profile. He looked solemn, now. "Where?" she whispered._

"_A camp for demigods like him," he explained, finally meeting her eyes. "Camp Half-Blood, on Long Island. There he will be safe from monsters hunting him."_

"_You want me to give up our child?" she demanded angrily, stepping back and away from him._

_He kept his hands on her shoulders, staring down at her with utmost seriousness. "No, love," he said gently. "Not permanently. His scent will be unbelievably powerful. He will need training to survive and fight the monsters who will hunt him all his life." He grimaced, looking down at his sandals for a long moment before meeting her eyes again. "I am sorry, my love, for putting the both of you in such danger."_

"_I'm not giving up our child," she whispered fiercely, tears gathering in her eyes. She left it unsaid that the child would be her only connection to him she had left. "I won't."_

_Poseidon sighed and nodded. "I understand you want to keep the baby close, Sally. He or she will be your only family." Those eyes turned intense, boring into her, his expression a cross between pain and determination. "Promise me you will at least consider sending our child there for a time each year. I… I want you both to be safe," he said softly. "I cannot protect you up here. I will do what I can, but outside my realm, there will be little I can do. I am forbidden from interfering directly."_

"_Just as you were forbidden from breaking the oath you and your brothers took on the Styx?" she asked with a watery smile._

_He had the grace to look chagrined. "They will call it a mistake, Sally, and in one way perhaps it is. In breaking my oath on the Styx, I have condemned him to a life of hardship. If he is the prophesized child…" he trailed off, shaking his head. "But I do not regret loving you, same as I know I will not regret this child. I, unlike most of my family, actually care for my children."_

"_I know you do," Sally said, forgetting her anger. Poseidon only wanted to protect them, but she was too stubborn to accept his charity. "I will do the best I can."_

_Poseidon nodded. "Beware the sky," he said quietly, already knowing that she would. His brother's temper had already cost Sally her parents' lives. "Zeus will strike you out of it the moment he learns you have borne my child. Never fly anywhere. If you must travel, go by boat or over land, and do not ever go to California."_

"_Why?" she whispered curiously as he pulled her into his embrace again._

"_My brother Hades dwells there, underground. There is something about that place that draws monsters like bees are drawn to honey. You must never go there. Our child will be in grave danger if you do."_

_Sally nodded and leaned against him, taking comfort in his arms. She knew she would not be able to do so much longer._

"_Stay close to the sea," he whispered, pressing his lips to the top of her head. "The closer you are, the easier I can try to protect you."_

_She nodded without saying anything, soaking up his warmth. _

"_Sally, will you promise me something else?" he murmured._

"_Of course."_

"_Let our child know that I love them very much, and that if I could I would be here with you for every moment if I could. I . . . I don't want them to feel like I do not care. I do care. More than I can possibly explain in words." He smiled faintly and looked down at her. "Will you . . . will you bring them here? To Montauk?"_

"_Every year," she promised, smiling back._

"_Thank you," he sighed, dropping his chin to the top of her head. "I will be watching."_

"_I know you will," Sally smiled, and marveled once more at how much she loved this man. "How much longer do you have?" she whispered._

"_A few days, at most," he whispered back. "The longer I stay, the more danger I will put you in."_

_Putting on a brave face, she stepped away from him and smiled. "Well," she said with her usual cheer, "let's make the most of them."_

_Four days later, she awoke at the cabin on Montauk alone and immediately knew Poseidon was gone. She bit back her tears and rolled over to find a seashell on his pillow. She cupped it in her hands and curled into a ball, the tears streaming down her face._

_She pressed her hand carefully to her stomach and whispered, "I'll protect you the best I can, little one."_

"Oh, Percy," she whispered, stroking his tuft of black hair off his forehead. "Your daddy loves you, never forget that. And I'll try to keep you safe."

After a long six months in the apartment, Sally grew tired of her grumpy neighbors. It wasn't _her _fault that babies cry, for Pete's sake. So, she buckled Percy into his car seat, packed a bag, and headed to Montauk. She was hurting, and needed something to remind her of him. Just for now.

When they arrived, it was late afternoon. She booked the same cabin as before and got them all unpacked before kicking off her shoes and wiggling her toes in the sand. With her baby cradled in her arms, she stood at the edge of the surf, staring off across the ocean and thinking of him.

She waded out into the shallows and sat, the water level just above her belly button. Percy cooed and kicked his little feet in the waves, splashing his hands with a delighted giggle. She settled him carefully in her lap and just let him play in his natural element. A part of her wondered if Poseidon could see them. She hoped so.

Fish started to appear after a while, swimming around them, before growing brave and coming up to bump against Percy's tiny feet and legs. Percy giggled with delight and made cooing noises at them. A part of her wondered if they were speaking to him, and if so, what they were saying.

Sudden darkness made her glance upwards with a frown. Clouds were gathering, but that was far from rare on the ocean. Shaking off her suspicions, she smiled down at her little boy and watched with slight wariness as what appeared to be a baby shark swam up to them and nuzzled Percy's stomach, swimming in slow circles around them.

At least here, Sally had nothing to fear. Poseidon had told her no creature in his realm would harm their child. And so, she smiled when the shark nuzzled her hand as well before swimming a ways off through the growing numbers of fish.

/

Poseidon forced down his irritation as he left his room after an argument with his wife. She claimed he was distracted, ignoring him. In all honesty he was, he realized with a stab of guilt. For the past fifteen months, he had been greatly distracted looking over Sally.

She had remained on Montauk for much of her pregnancy, and he silently thanked her for that. He was able to watch as her body rounded with his child and had to constantly force himself to remain in the sea. All he wanted to do was return to her, be with her, help her through the birth. She left to return to New York, and he sensed when the child was born. There was a new link in his mind, an awareness of another tiny being that was a part of him. Two days later she brought the child to the seashore, and he saw his son for the first time from afar.

She had stood ankle-deep in the surf and smiled at the waves. "A son," she whispered. "I named him Perseus, Percy for short. I miss you."

And then, she had been gone.

He sensed she was near again, and dissolved into bubbles. They were at Montauk, he realized, as he watched them from afar while she sat in the calm waters with fish and young sharks swirling around them, Percy settled in her lap.

_Son of the Sea God, son of the Sea God, son of the Sea God, _the fish were whispering in awe in tandem with the young sharks.

Percy was bigger, he noted. His hair was longer, and he no longer had the look of a newborn. He was slightly chubby, and happily chattering away in babbles to the fish, who were ecstatic he was paying them any attention. He felt a smile curve his lips.

The angry rumble of thunder alerted him to the danger.

Poseidon abruptly solidified into his human-sized form and looked up at the raging storm clouds.

And then it hit him.

_Hades. Maria di Angelo. The hotel. Zeus' bolt._

"No!" he cried in horror, rushing for them, calling the sea to his aid. "NO!"

He was too far away. He knew it before he started moving. The wave arrived at the same time a huge bolt of lightning arced down from the heavens and blasted the seashore, the fish and sharks fleeing in terror.

"No, no, no," he gasped, falling to his knees in the surf. Sally was still, her eyes open in surprise, sprawled on her back in the shallow water. With shaking hands, he reached down and pulled her up and into his arms. She was gone, as he had known she would be the moment he realized what was happening. "Oh, Sally," he breathed brokenly, tenderly stroking her cheek. "I wasn't fast enough. I am sorry."

He was only fast enough to shield his son. Percy was in the surf, crying in confusion and blinking, blinded by the bright flash and deafened by the extremely loud crack of lightning. The sea had helped to heal him, the lightning burns on his arms fading rapidly given his contact with the water.

Bowing his head, he kissed Sally on the forehead and watched as she disappeared in a shower of gold. Bitterness, pain, and anger swirled in his chest.

He would have words with his brother Hades momentarily, but for now, he needed to get Percy to safety.

As his emotions raged, the sea changed. It was no longer calm. It began to grow choppy as the waves grew larger, responding to his anger.

With gentle hands, he scooped up his son and waded into the water, murmuring soft words to him. Percy blinked owlishly, squinting as he tried to focus on his face.

"It's alright, little one," he murmured, kissing his brow, his cheeks, his chin. "You're safe with me."

Once they were fully submerged, his son started to yawn and just like that, fell asleep against his chest. Hoping beyond hope that Amphitrite would be forgiving, he imagined his palace and both he and his son vanished into the sea.

/

**E/N**: Recently re-read PJatO, and started to wonder what would happen if Poseidon had been betrayed by Zeus the same way that Hades had, and lost Sally in the same way Hades lost Maria.

This was what my brain fashioned as a result.

Reviews are appreciated! xD


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**: Wowza! Blown away by the number of reviews, favorites, and follows! You guys totally made my day and gave me a sound kick in the behind to get this next chapter out! You all rock and I love you dearly! *hands cookies* Enjoy!

Also, for the sake of the story, Sally died beside the ocean. As I have told a couple of reviewers, I could not think of another place close enough to the ocean where Poseidon would have been able to get there quickly for Percy. Also, I really don't know enough about the sheer power of the master bolt or about Poseidon's powers against it. As such I don't know if he could actually save a mortal when she's sitting in water seeing as water is such a good conductor of electricity. Plot hole, I know.

Anyway, it's mostly just a plot device, people. Percy needed to be by the ocean, so I stuck him by the ocean. Just roll with it. ;)

**Disclaimer**: I, no matter how much I may wish it, am in no way Rick Riordan. I also, no matter how much I may wish it, do not hold his genius in creating these characters. Only he does. Sadly.

/

**Chapter Two  
**Bastard Child

Poseidon had quickly become so furious he could barely see straight. He materialized just outside his palace doors and swept inside with a purpose, his sleeping baby son held protectively against his chest. Servants, mermen, dolphins, and other sea creatures bolted at the sight of him. It had been centuries since they had seen _that _particular expression on his face, but all knew to get out of the way or risk being blasted by his trident.

He was seething. How _dare _Zeus attack his lover and child! How _dare _he take Percy's mother from him! How _dare _he actually have the NERVE to blast her when she was right at the edge of HIS DOMAIN! As if _he _had ever sent anything after any of Zeus or Hades' children, and considering he had an entire sea of monsters at his disposal that was saying something.

Gritting his teeth, he stormed into the throne room.

"Out," he barked, power rolling off his voice. It appeared they were in the middle of a council meeting, but no matter. All but Amphitrite scattered, not wishing to face his wrath. His wife, on the other hand, had been used to his mood swings for centuries now and merely raised an eyebrow, unimpressed by his rarely displayed temper.

Poseidon may have been known as one of the more laid-back of the Olympians, but his emotions mirrored the ocean, and an angry God of the Sea was a force to be reckoned with.

Amphitrite stood and swept her dark hair over her shoulder, staring down at him with an expressionless face.

"My wife, I bring grave news," he said gruffly. As he neared her he unconsciously lifted his free hand to cup the back of Percy's head as if to protect him from Amphitrite's wrath.

"What is _that_?" she demanded coolly, trying to get a good look at whatever was cradled so tenderly in his hands, braced against his broad chest. Her husband's hands were so large, all she could see were two tiny, delicate feet, peeking out from under the edge of his palm.

"This is not a _that, _it is a _he_," Poseidon said quietly, forcing himself to move his hand down to Percy's back, giving his wife the first glimpse of the baby.

Amphitrite's lips thinned. It was a child, she noted — a human-looking child. He had smooth white skin that reminded her of marble, a shock of dark hair that looked as if it were as soft as velvet, and puckered pink lips. She could not deny the child was lovely, and as she watched, the baby shifted and murmured in his sleep, snuggling into Poseidon's warmth and sticking his thumb in his mouth.

"Who is this he?" she asked, though she already knew the answer. She had suspected it for months.

"His name is Perseus Jackson," her husband admitted, "and he is my son."

Taking a sharp step back, Amphitrite gave him a cold look. "And so you, too, have broken your oath on the Styx," she said accusingly, trying to hide the pain that was surging through her chest. Poseidon's expression tightened, and for the first time, she noted the warring fury and grief that raged within him. Her eyes turned to the child, blazing with anger.

Poseidon moved backwards, anger snapping in his eyes now. He turned his body slightly, putting his shoulder between her and the baby. This shocked her more than anything, that he was willing to shield the infant with his own body. "This child is my _son_," he reminded her coldly, "and his mother was just killed by Zeus. His scent is strong enough that he will be hunted all his life. He will stay here. It is the only place I can keep him safe."

"No," she said fiercely, baring her teeth. "I will not let this — this — this _bastard_ — "

If anything, his gaze grew even angrier. "You, who have never harmed an innocent creature, would hate this baby purely because it was I who broke an oath and hurt you?" he thundered. "By Hades, Amphitrite, it is not Percy's fault he was born! If you are to be angry with anyone, be angry with _me_. Not him. He does not deserve it."

Over the centuries, Amphitrite had grown accustomed to the grief and pain of knowing her husband was unfaithful. She was not Hera, however. There was no open hatred, no desire to kill or harm those children who were half her husband's. No matter how hard she tried, she could never bring herself to do so, for each time she looked at them — the demigods especially — she saw Poseidon in each of them.

"I will not raise your bastard," she said coolly, pointedly not looking at the baby sleeping so innocently in her husband's grasp. _It has been so long since you have been around one so young_, her conscious pestered her. _He is innocent… look at his sweet little face._

"Amphitrite, if I take him to the surface, Zeus will kill him the moment my back is turned," Poseidon said softly, suddenly not looking at her. The pain etched on his face hurt her more than she cared to admit, for she knew he grieved the loss of his lover greatly. Eyes raging with emotion fixed on the baby sleeping in his embrace, his gaze softening as Percy slumbered on, so innocent and naïve to the fact that his mother had just been violently wrenched from him forever. "I — I could not bear to lose him, as well."

Her resolve was deteriorating quickly. She could sense the seas raging with his emotions, the sudden storms pounding the coast lines, the ships endangered by the force of his wrath. And he _was_ furious, more furious than he had ever been in all the centuries she had stood by his side.

Poseidon had never treated his demigod children as the rest of his family did. Always, he loved them fiercely and did everything in his power to help them, to guide them. It was not in his nature to be cold and indifferent to his children, as those such as Ares and Zeus were. And so she knew he would never let this child return to the surface world until he was old enough to defend himself, for his death would mean the death of part of his heart.

And she loved her husband, had loved him through all the long centuries that blended into millennia. She had loved him even when he strayed, because always he came back to her and their children.

Pleadingly, Poseidon said, "Look at him, Amphitrite." He shifted Percy slightly, turning him partially towards her, giving her a full view of the slumbering infant.

Amphitrite bit her lip, gazing down into his small face. Taking a deep breath to steady her resolve, she stepped closer to him and held out her hands.

"May I hold him?" she asked softly, treating her husband to a soft smile.

When those broad shoulders slumped in relief, Amphitrite had to bite her lip to still the tears that wanted to fall. Hands that were always so tender with her gently set the sleeping infant in her arms, and for the first time she got a good look at him up close.

"He looks like you," she noted softly, tracing a finger down his velvet cheek, marveling at the long, dark eyelashes swept against his alabaster cheeks.

Poseidon said nothing, struggling to control the anger and grief within him. He was surprised when Amphitrite reached up and cupped the back of his neck in her hand, pulling his head down to her shoulder. With a suddenness that surprised him, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close, squeezing his eyes tightly shut as he remembered Sally, so still and lifeless on the shore.

Amphitrite felt her own tears building as she gently stroked her hand through his hair. He was silent, but kept his forehead resting on the top of her shoulder. She suddenly realized how cruel Zeus had been, to hurt her husband in such a way, to hurt Hades in such a way. Had Persephone tried to comfort him, as she tried to comfort Poseidon? She doubted it.

Her gaze rested on the beautiful little boy cradled in her right arm, and she felt a fury akin to her husband's building in her chest.

Her husband had been right — she could not bring herself to hate something so small, so innocent, so helpless to defend itself. It infuriated her that Zeus had tried to kill such a helpless creature, had torn from him forever the mother who had carried him, birthed him, and loved him with all her being. What if it had been Poseidon killed, and Triton abandoned? The mere thought made her balk in mixed fury and terror, and she suddenly understood at least a little bit where he was coming from.

"I am so sorry," she whispered in her husband's ear. "I am angry with you, my lord, but in time I may forgive you."

"I can ask for no less, wife," he said tightly, finally releasing her and stepping back. Lifting a hand, he stroked his fingers over the top of the baby's head, staring down at him. When he met her gaze once more, his eyes were still raging with barely controlled emotion but were noticeably calmed as only she could calm him. "My wife, I must venture to Hades' realm. There are words I wish to have with him."

Worry surged through her. "It is dangerous to go into his realm, my lord," she reminded him. "Your powers will be greatly diminished there."

Poseidon smiled bitterly. "For once, my wife, he and I have something in common," he said gravely. "There is something I wish to ask of him, and to do so I must go to his realm. Can I trust you to look after Percy until I return?"

"Of course, my lord," Amphitrite said softly, dropping her gaze to the floor. She did not look up when his lips pressed to her forehead, did not raise her eyes until she sensed that he was gone.

"By the Gods, what a mess," she murmured, sinking back down onto her throne with her husband's bastard in her arms. She wanted to hate him, oh how she wanted to hate he and Poseidon both, but she could not.

Just then, Perseus — _Percy, _Poseidon had called him — began to stir. The small baby made a sleepy sound of confusion and slowly blinked his eyes open, staring up at her with the exact shade of her husband's eyes. There was such innocence in his gaze that the last of her resolve crumbled.

For one long moment he stared up at her, before he broke into a huge toothless grin and stuck his arms up in the air with a happy squeal, kicking his little feet against the water. On instinct she slipped her index finger into his palm and he grasped it tightly, pulling it to his mouth and gnawing on it with vigor.

"Oh, Hades," she breathed, staring down at the infant in her arms as an answering smile stretched across her own face, for in that one simple moment he had stolen her heart just as Triton had the moment he was born.

/

**E/N**: *squeeeeeeee* Baby Percy is seriously so freaking cute to write. Prepare yourself for some adorable baby Percy moments in the coming chapters! I am having WAY too much fun with this!

UP NEXT: An _extremely_ angry Poseidon travels to the Underworld to ask a favor of his brother, Hades. Insults fly. Floods are threatened. Agreements are reached . . . kinda.

_**Please review! ;D**_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Part three, friends, in which Poseidon loathes Los Angeles and Hades compares his brother to algae, seaweed, and fish.

Enjoy.

**Disclaimer**: I am not Rick Riordan, so please, do not sue me.

/

**Chapter Three  
**Tempers Clash

Poseidon traveled as quickly as he was able from his palace to the shores of California. He was well aware of the tempest he was causing, but could not bring himself to care as he shrank to mortal size and his head broke the surface of the waves slamming against the shores. There was not a soul in sight, most people having fled to the safety of their houses as relief against the stinging rain and relentless surf.

It had been centuries since the seas were this disturbed, and the mortals had noticed. As he stalked towards DOA Recording Studios — Dead On Arrival, apparently Hades had found a sense of humor sometime in the last millennia — he glimpsed various news reports of baffled so-called "weathermen" completely stunned by the sudden ferocity of the sea.

"_Meteorologists are currently baffled by the sudden change in the sea's behavior,_" one was yelling at him through the storm, holding the mike in one hand and her hood up on her head with the other as she was battered by wind and rain. The location read TAMPA BAY, FLORIDA. _"Reports are saying similar storms have raged on every continent in the world, an event that hasn't happened at any known time in the last six centuries. There are over four hundred ships currently lost at sea __—__ "_

Her voice cut off as he got far enough away to not hear her anymore. Later, he would care about controlling the sea. Now, he had a demand for Hades, and by Olympus, Hades was going to grant it or he would flood this entire state.

When he arrived at DOA Recording Studios — Gods, he loathed Los Angeles — he threw the doors open, idly wondering who had done the stenciling on the glass doors. Charon was standing behind a desk in a nice suit and strange sunglasses, looking absolutely flabbergasted to see him there.

Shoving his way through the crowd, he came to a halt before the boatman and all but glared a hole through his skull.

"I demand to speak with my brother," he said gruffly. An especially large gust of wind shook the windows to punctuate his sentence, rain slashing against the glass so loudly it was nearly impossible to hear anything over the rage of the storm outside.

"I, uh, of c—course, L—Lord Poseidon," Charon stammered, forcing himself not to gape.

This had never happened before.

As a rule, the Big Three avoided each other's realms like the plague.

The boatman dared a glance out the doors, glimpsing the wrathful seas, and wondered what had happened to put the God of the Seas in such a rotten mood that he was taking it out on the entire planet.

Poseidon's eyes darkened, the god in question clearly not thrilled at being made to wait. Charon scrambled to the elevator, not even daring to ask for payment. The last thing he wanted was to be incinerated by Poseidon's trident. If that happened, he'd never get a raise.

"T—This way, Lord Poseidon," he squeaked, shoving spirits away as the waited for the doors to open. None dared to touch the God of the Seas. The doors slid shut, and in moments they were descending. Charon said nothing, and neither did Poseidon, but the Sea God's anger was palpable. If he was able, Charon was pretty sure he'd be shooting lightning from his eyes.

By the time the doors opened, Charon was extremely glad to be free of the confined space. He ushered Poseidon onto the boat and began to ferry him across as fast as he dared. He bowed to Poseidon as they reached the opposite shore, and without a word, Poseidon stepped to the ground and stalked towards the entrance of the Underworld.

No ghouls dared to question his presence or halt his advance.

Poseidon stalked right between the EZ DEATH line and a slower-moving line whose name he did not care about. His path took him right under Cerberus, who merely whined sharply in reaction to the fury he scented rolling off the Sea God in waves. He didn't dare look at any of the faces, fearing he would see Sally there and do something drastic.

Unhindered, he made his was purposely towards his brother's palace, his knuckles tightening. With a slight start, he realized he was gripping his trident so hard his fingers were aching. Up until that moment he hadn't even realized he'd been holding it.

The palace itself was dark and gloomy, but then, so was Hades. Poseidon was far from surprised.

He threw open the doors, took two strides forward, and bellowed, "HADES."

A moment later, Hades appeared through the doors to his left in his human-sized form, looking mildly surprised to see his brother in his throne room.

"Barnacle Beard," he greeted him coolly, "fancy finding you here."

"Save the insults, Corpse Breath, or I'll flood this entire cavern," Poseidon growled, turning murderous eyes on his brother. "I have a favor to ask of you."

"And by that, you mean demand, Kelp Brain. Am I correct?"

"Do _not _push me right now, brother," Poseidon warned darkly. "I am not in the mood for your games."

"Clearly, as your temper is currently dead-set on drowning the poor mortals," Hades shot back, raising an eyebrow. "So far you've added nine hundred and sixty-two souls to my lines. Do you have _any _idea how annoying dead people are? All they do is whine, 'no, it must be a mistake', and 'no, I'm not dead, let me go back' — "

"HADES," Poseidon cut him off, "I care little for your annoyances. I came here to ask you to grant Sally Jackson the peace of Elysium."

Hades' eyes narrowed. "And who, pray tell, is Sally Jackson?"

Poseidon faltered slightly, gripping the handle of his trident. "She is — was — the mother of my child," he admitted reluctantly.

Hades' eyes narrowed. "YOU BROKE THE OATH?" he roared, the volume all but shaking the walls.

Unfazed, Poseidon didn't even flinch. Hades was right to be angry, and he knew from experience that his brother needed to have a slight temper tantrum before being calm enough to listen to reason.

"WHY YOU INSOLENT, UNFAITHFUL, LYING PIECE OF ALGAE! I CANNOT BELIVE YOU AND ZEUS _BOTH _BROKE THE OATH, AND I AM THE ONLY ONE THAT HASN'T! _**I'M **_SUPPOSED TO BE THE INSOLENT ONE, YOU KNOW, WHY IS IT THAT **_I_** WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO WAS ABLE TO KEEP IT IN MY PANTS?! FOR THE LOVE OF OLYMPUS, I SWEAR I WILL BRING WRATH DOWN ON YOUR CHILD'S HEAD — "

"YOU WILL DO NO SUCH THING," Poseidon roared, cutting his brother off mid-sentence. Teeth gritted in a snarl, eyes flashing with fury, trident glowing, he stared his brother down. The ground beneath their feet quaked and rolled violently, making Hades pale even further than his normal shade. "You harm _one hair _on his head, and I will kill you," he threatened furiously.

Hades was taken aback by his brother's fury. Sure, Poseidon got angry sometimes, but this . . . this was different. This was far worse than anything he had ever seen before. It was a wrath barely contained, an animosity so fierce that it seemed to fill the air between them, an anger so violent that his brother was barely in control.

"Peace, Poseidon," Hades shouted as the walls and floors quaked even worse. Relief filled him as the shaking stopped. Through narrowed eyes, he studied his brother the Earthshaker. Poseidon's eyes were nearly black they were so stormy, his chest heaving and nostrils flaring with each breath. With his teeth gritted in a snarl, he looked positively feral. "By Olympus, _what _is wrong with you?" he barked irritably.

"Zeus," Poseidon bellowed, slamming the butt of his trident onto the floor. Hades winced as the tile cracked with a sound like a gunshot.

Hades scowled. "What _about_ that good-for-nothing Air-For-Brains? Did someone finally pull the lightning rod out of his ass?" he demanded, watching as Poseidon's hands started to shake. He had never seen Poseidon this . . . out of control. It was unsettling.

An unknown emotion swirled in his chest at the sight . . . it felt strangely like . . . sympathy? Worry? Bah. He was no good with emotions.

In a voice ripped from his chest and heavy with agony, Poseidon moaned, "_He killed her_."

Stunned, Hades watched his brother sink to his knees on the floor, one hand gripping his trident like a lifeline, the other covering his eyes as his shoulders shook. For the first time in his extremely long existence, he was at a loss of what to do. Poseidon was as steady as a rock. He never faltered, never broke, was steadfast and had an annoying habit of taking the entire blame every time something went wrong. Yet here he was, falling to pieces right in front of him.

Shuffling forward, Hades hesitantly couched beside his brother and reached out to awkwardly grasp his shoulder, simply staying put while Poseidon sucked in gulps of air, struggling to control himself.

"Who killed her?" he wondered quietly, in an uncharacteristic show of, well, brotherly-ness.

"Zeus killed her, Hades," Poseidon said in a scratchy whisper, not lowering his hand from his eyes. "He struck her down with his master bolt. She was right in front of me. I wasn't fast enough."

Bitterness and anger swelled in his chest as he remembered Maria di Angelo's gentle beauty and how Zeus had ripped her from his life in the same fashion. He was thankful that Nico and Bianca were safe in the Lotus Hotel, even if he missed them terribly. Had he not been there, Zeus would have killed both his children as well, simply because they were his.

"I know how . . ." he trailed off uncertainly, not sure how to phrase it. He didn't do _feelings_. He didn't know what to say to help.

"I am sorry that Zeus did what he did to Maria," Poseidon said, still in that scratchy voice. "He had no right to take someone you loved from you like that."

Hades bit back his sarcastic retort, sensing it was not the wisest attitude with his brother in this current state. He _had _loved Maria, though he'd have rather dove into Tartarus than admitted it.

"Not exactly like him to go around blasting his own kids with lightning, is it?" he said instead, the bitterness and hate coming through in his tone of voice. "He just has to go around trying to murder ours instead," he added darkly.

Poseidon said nothing, merely nodded jerkily in agreement.

Hades took the fact that his shoulders had stopped shaking as a good sign.

Finally, Poseidon lowered his hand and looked at him, face-to-face. "We have had our quarrels in the past, Hades," he said softly, "but I am asking you. Make sure she gets Elysium." He paused, swallowing heavily before softly taking on, "_Please_."

With a sigh, Hades whipped out a black iPhone and started scrolling down the list of deceased awaiting judgment that Thanatos updated daily. It only took a few moments to find her name.

"She awaits the judges," Hades admitted, "but I know from her past that she deserves it, Poseidon." When his brother opened his mouth, he hastened to cut him off and quickly said, "I will mainstream her application along, though. She'll be in Elysium by this time tomorrow, I swear on the Styx."

Feeling an uncharacteristic swell of gratitude for Hades, Poseidon reached out to grasp his brother's shoulder. "Thank you," he said gravely and with utmost sincerity.

Hades was unable to speak, so he merely nodded. An odd feeling swelled in his own chest, a strange mix of emotions he hadn't felt in centuries. It almost felt like . . . gratitude, maybe relief. _Finally_, one of his family understood how he felt. It was a strange sensation, crouching beside his grief-stricken brother on the floor of his palace in the Underworld, of all places. And with neither of them threatening death or dismemberment on the other, no less.

Clearing his throat loudly, Hades stood. He was relieved when Poseidon did the same, looking remarkably calmer than he had been upon his arrival. Previously black, his eyes were now back to their usual stormy green-blue, albeit a bit darker than they were normally.

"Your child?" Hades questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Safe. Hidden from Zeus, deep in the sea where his bolt cannot reach him."

Hades nodded.

Poseidon rubbed a hand over his face. "What of your children, brother? I never asked what became of them," he realized, suddenly feeling exhausted.

"Safe as well. Hidden where he cannot get them."

Nodding, Poseidon drew himself up to his full height and squared his shoulders. "I will not forget what you have done for me today, brother," he said formally. "From this point on, any children you may have in the centuries to follow will be able to safely pass across my seas. Provided, that is, they are not starting a war or attempting to slaughter one of my children."

Hades nodded and said simply, "A fair exchange." He watched as Poseidon turned to leave and called, "Poseidon."

Turning back around, Poseidon regarded his brother. "You are not going to lock me in a prison cell or pitch me into Tartarus, are you?" he wondered, the usual sarcastic bite back in his tone.

"Hardly," Hades snorted. "Tartarus would spit you right back out, Fish Breath." Poseidon glared at him, and he simply smirked, glad they were back to their usual bickering. The smirk faded as he grew serious. "I just . . . I wanted you to know that I will tell no one of your child's survival. Your secret is safe with me." By the end of his sentence he was grimacing; the words had felt like acid coming from his mouth. He loathed feelings.

"And yours, with me," Poseidon said quietly.

"You do realize, of course, that if he _is _the prophesized child, he could be the downfall of us all?"

Poseidon said nothing.

"Keep a close eye on him, brother," Hades advised.

"I will." He flicked his gaze upwards and sighed. "I must return to the seas, brother, before the both of us say something sappy that we regret and will result in us mocking each other for eternity."

"I thought we did that already," Hades smirked.

Rolling eyes with a faint smile, Poseidon sighed, "Farewell."

Hades nodded agreement, and watched as his brother made his way back across the Underworld towards the exit, pausing to give Cerberus a pat on each of his heads before fading from sight.

/

**E/N**: Bahahaha, I love Hades and Poseidon. Definitely two of my favorite gods, probably followed closely by Apollo and his hilariously awful haikus…

**Reviews are love ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Hey guys! I am totally blown away by the response to this story. The numbers of reviews, favorites, and follows has totally got me flabbergasted and overwhelmed with the love and support. You all rock! I love you dearly!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving weekend!

Also, just a little note to two of my reviewers, aesir21 and hope1998, you should enjoy this chapter! ;)

**Disclaimer**: It all belongs to Rick Riordan, people. I'm just playing in his sandbox, and lemme tell you, its loads of fun. ^-^

/

**Chapter Four  
**Decisions

Amphitrite chewed her lip in worry, glancing at throne room's archway every few seconds. Any moment now, Poseidon would be striding through the open doors in one of two moods. If the Fates were kind, Hades would have granted his request and he would be calmer than he had been. If the Fates were cruel, Hades would have denied it, and Poseidon would likely be declaring war on Olympus come morning.

She sighed and shifted Percy in her arms. The tension had become too much to handle and had resulted in her pacing the length of the throne room while she waited. At the surface the sea continued its uproar as storms raged on the coasts of every country, the shores of New York most of all. Zeus was a fool if he had not yet caught on to his older brother's asperity.

Ordinarily she would not worry this badly, except for the fact that her husband was stubborn as a rock and possessed a temper that rivaled Zeus'. As well as she knew him, she would not be surprised if he managed to insult Hades in some way and in so doing alienate his brother in the space of five seconds.

Percy was chattering away in a language known only to babies, stringing together random sounds. His head turned this way and that as he studied the throne room with wide eyes, trying to take in all the colors and patterns at once.

Outside the throne room, creatures mulled about whispering to each other, watching their queen pace with the baby in her arms. They could sense the sea in him, had seen their king march into the palace holding the baby, and knew that he was the child of their lord.

Ignoring them for the time being, Amphitrite smiled down at Percy. She sighed and decided a change of scene was in order. Without looking at anyone, she moved with a purpose to the gardens. Her subjects parted silently before her, curious eyes fixed on the wide-eyed infant cradled close to her heart.

The gardens were quiet, lit with a greenish tinge from the underwater torches. Kelp swayed gently in the ocean currents, fish darting in and out of the slowly waving stalks. Far above, the sun was just beginning to set, setting the ocean floor in a blue-tinted slightly amber glow. Merpeople moved along in their daily activities around the city while dolphins darted in and out of her field of vision. Off in the distance she could see a blue whale working with mermen to finish buildings Poseidon had ordered at the start of the season.

Percy cooed and wiggled so he was upright in her arms, giggling as he reached out and grasped a piece of kelp in his pudgy little hands.

"No, no, little one," she said softly, gently prying his fingers loose. Percy pouted and leaned back, staring upwards with wide eyes as a great white shark lazily swam by overhead.

Every fish in the vicinity had taken an immediate notice of him and were staying respectfully back, their tiny minds excited by the presence of this new "prince". Amphitrite didn't bother to correct them; as far as the fish of the sea were concerned, any demigod son of Poseidon was a prince.

One particularly bold tuna swam forward to regard the little baby, who stared back with equal curiosity before breaking into a delighted giggle and reaching for the fish. The fish was intelligent enough to evade his grasp, but it did gently bump against his hand in greeting.

"My lady," a voice chirped to her left.

Amphitrite turned to find Delphin at the edge of the garden, his head tilted slightly in curiosity as he regarded the dark-haired baby held securely in her arms.

"Delphin," she greeted him respectfully and with a smile. "How do things fare with your people?"

"Well, my lady," the dolphin informed her cheerfully. "I wished to inform you that King Poseidon is on his way home."

Her shoulders slumped in relief. "Thank you, Delphin," she sighed, closing her eyes briefly and taking a moment to be thankful that the Fates had been kind this day. She knew not what the verdict had been, but it was a good sign that Hades had allowed him to both enter and leave his realm without harm.

"What of the council meeting, milady?" Delphin wondered, swishing his tail in irritation.

"I suppose it shall have to be reconvened," Amphitrite sighed with a sour expression. "You should have heard them going on about such trivial subjects, Delphin." The dolphin looked repulsed by the thought and swished his tail in marked agitation, so much so that it almost made her smile. "Will you send someone to fetch Triton for me? I need someone Poseidon trusts to look after Percy while we finish the meeting."

Delphin nodded and simply said, "Right away, my lady."

/

Triton scowled as he made his way through the palace to his parents' room. He'd been on the training rounds when news of his father's half-blood bastard had reached him. The spawn had the whole of Atlantis in an uproar of excitement and speculation. Frankly, he didn't understand what all the fuss was about. It was just a _baby_, for the love of Olympus. A hundred years from now, he would be long gone. Most of his kind didn't even survive to twenty.

He didn't care much for the little surface-spawn, regardless of the fact he had never even seen it.

Flexing his hands into fists, he hurried to answer his mother's summons.

When he entered the room he had to resist the urge to growl, settling instead on just rolling his eyes.

His mother had the child. She was holding him securely under the arms and lifting him over her head to blow raspberries on his stomach. Each time she did, he would laugh loudly, and every time she lowered him he would stick his hand in his mouth and stare at her, waiting for her to do it again.

"Rather unintelligent, aren't they?" he growled, moving into the room and ignoring the stab of emotion in his chest. He wondered if she had ever done that with him, and why she seemed so comfortable in the thing's presence.

Amphitrite glanced over at him with a slight frown, settling the baby against her shoulder where he continued to suck on his fingers. "When they are young such as this, they require intellectual stimulation," she said simply, flashing the baby a smile and tickling him under his chin. "You required it as well, long ago, my son."

"You summoned me," he said in a bored tone, swishing his tails with agitation. He would _much _rather be on the training grounds than here.

"I did," Amphitrite agreed, tickling Percy's stomach to make him giggle. "I have a council to oversee, and you will watch your brother for its duration. His name is Percy."

"Fascinating," he snapped, crossing his arms defensively.

Amphitrite sighed. "Triton, your father loves this baby," she informed him softly, "and in time, I know I will as well. To be truthful, I am already falling for him. His mother was murdered by your Uncle Zeus this morning, and he has no one left in this world but us. Your father has declared he will stay here for the duration of his childhood. I expect you to look after him until your father returns."

"But mother — " Triton tried to protest, looking appalled at the thought of having to watch his father's bastard.

"Triton, I am asking you as your mother." She gave him a level look, utter seriousness in her expression.

Before he could form another argument, she settled the baby gently in his arms, bent to press a kiss to his forehead, and hurried out of the vicinity towards the throne room.

Percy, as the spawn was apparently called, took one look at Triton's face and promptly burst into tears.

Triton sighed heavily. "You annoy me," he growled at the spawn, which wasn't the greatest idea, since the baby just cried harder and leaned as far away from him as physically possible. "Oh, come on, don't turn red," he grumbled, bouncing him experimentally. "Father will be angry if I upset you!"

This meant nothing to the baby, who was screaming at the top of his lungs now.

Frustrated, Triton set the baby in the shell crib. Percy instantly quieted, but leaned away from him warily with a quivering lower lip.

An idea struck him. Percy's favorite person, he assumed, was Poseidon. Maybe it was his skin color and tails that were freaking Percy out, because before coming to Atlantis, he had never seen them before. So he concentrated on the form he adopted for his rare excursions to the surface world. A faint shimmer surrounded him as his form changed from two-tailed to two-legged, from green skinned to tan, his black hair still up in a ponytail. He was dressed in brown Reef sandals, tan bermuda shorts, and a white polo T-shirt, a far cry from the set of armor he had been wearing a moment ago.

"There," he muttered, reaching down to pick Percy up again.

Percy stared at him wide-eyed, his gaze tracing around the room as if he was searching for the person he'd been scared of seconds before. Not finding him, he regarded the human-looking Triton with frank curiosity.

"Well?" Triton grumped, bracing the baby against one shoulder. He was determined not to like the baby, forcing himself not to have a reaction to that infectious smile and the sparkle in those innocent eyes.

"Amomomomom," was Percy's only response as he gnawed on his own fingers.

Triton rolled his eyes. "Surface people," he grumbled.

Percy squealed happily and reached up to grab his chin in a surprisingly strong grip. Triton irritably pushed his pudgy drooled-on fingers away and wiped his chin on his shoulder with a disgusted expression.

Apparently deciding he liked him, Percy clung to his shirt as he left the room and headed down the hallway. Servants bowed as they passed, but not before pausing to give the baby curious looks and gentle smiles. Percy looked perfectly pleased with all this attention, beaming at everyone and bouncing energetically in Triton's arms.

Bored out of his mind — and more than a little annoyed that his parents were forcing this responsibility on him — he headed out of the palace. With a disgusted expression he realized the little spawn was drooling all over himself and on his shirt.

"Gross," he complained, holding the baby away from him for the remainder of the walk. Percy seemed perfectly fine with this new arrangement, as it gave him a better view of the beautiful buildings and gardens they passed.

The longer he walked, the more he was considering pitching the spawn off the edge of a cliff. _Perseus Jackson_: the symbol of his father's infidelity and the living example of his mother's pain. The child whose mother had drawn his father away from his mother and made him fall in love with her; the very same woman who Poseidon had wanted to bring to the underwater palace he'd ordered built just for her and their halfblood spawn. When he'd heard that Zeus had killed her with his lightning bolt, he'd been glad, because it meant that his father's distraction had finally ended.

Oh, how he had been wrong. For nearly the entire day the seas had raged with his father's emotions. He had a sinking feeling that it was only just beginning, and that his father's anger would be long and deep. This child would be in the center of it all, Poseidon's constant reminder of the pain his brother had caused him and the betrayal Zeus had committed by murdering the Gods accursed woman with his master bolt.

Steeling himself, Triton walked along the ocean floor, ignoring the sea animals that swam over to greet him and the spawn. He didn't stop walking until he reached the edge of the drop-off, staring down at the endless expanse of blue that shaded to black. Somewhere in the depths lingered old enemies, weakened and forgotten for the time being. Perhaps they would take and kill the child so he wouldn't have to.

Triton lowered the baby to the edge and backed away.

Percy's lip quivered as he looked at the dark expanse of nothing before staring up at him, eyes wide with innocence.

"It would be easier if I just left you here to die," Triton told the baby conversationally. "Father would stop being distracted. Mother could go back to her life and forget about you. And father would pay attention to me, and not to you. Eventually, given time, he will probably forget all about you."

Even as the words left his mouth, Triton knew they were a lie. Even centuries later, his father still mourned his lost children. The baby's gaze was like a brand on his skin, innocent and naïve to the ways of the world yet silently judging him, as if he knew the words to be false.

"Stop looking at me like that," he ordered, wincing. "It's the right thing to do!"

Sniffling pitifully, Percy stuck his arms up in the air and stared at him with a quivering lower lip, silently pleading to be picked up.

"Oh, Gods," Triton groaned, sinking to a sitting position in the sand facing his younger half-brother. "Why do you have to be so damn cute, huh?"

Percy leaned forward, put his hands on the ground and crawled a ways before he lost his coordination and face planted on the sea floor, immediately bursting into tears.

Cursing under his breath, Triton reached forward and plucked the baby out of the sand, depositing him in his lap with a weary sigh and brushing the sand from his face. Percy, being a son of Poseidon as he was, sustained a thin layer of air around him so that he was always dry. As such the sand had dried upon coming into contact with his skin and brushed off with little trouble.

Forgetting his tears almost instantly, Percy turned in his lap so that he was snuggled into Triton's abdomen and yawned hugely. He scooted closer and nuzzled into his warmth before his eyes slid closed.

Triton watched, completely stunned, as the baby went entirely limp but for his tiny hands fisted in the fabric of his shirt. "By Olympus," he breathed, reaching up a hand to hesitantly trace his fingers over the crown of the baby's head. His hair was soft and silky like velvet and as dark as his own hair, an identical shade they had both inherited from their father. "Why do you have to be so _sweet_ when all I want to do is to pitch you off a cliff into the depths?"

"Unwise, my prince," a slightly squeaky voice informed him solemnly.

Jumping slightly, Triton craned his neck around to find Delphin.

"Your father is attached to the child," Delphin continued, giving him a stern look. Dolphins couldn't usually be stern, but in Triton's opinion he excelled at it. "I will forget this happened and neglect to mention it to Lord Poseidon if you take the child back safely. Your mother ordered us out to find you when she returned from the council meeting to find you and the little prince gone."

"This isn't a prince," Triton snapped, gesturing at the baby sleeping in his lap.

"His father is a king, therefore he is a prince."

"Father may be king, but its mother was no queen."

"King Poseidon has declared Prince Perseus' mother Sally Jackson to be a queen among women," Delphin said, swishing his tail. "Your brother is here to stay, whether you like it or not, Prince Triton. I would advise you to come to term with this. It is hardly Percy's fault for being born, or for Zeus murdering his mother with a lightning bolt and inflaming your father's wrath. Nor was it his fault your father strayed from your mother, or that your mother got hurt. He is an innocent child caught in the crossfire."

Triton scowled and turned away from the dolphin king, staring into the endless depths. Just because Delphin was right didn't mean he had to like it.

"Best get back now, prince, before your mother gets worried."

Without another word, Triton stood and held the baby in the crook of one arm, heading back to the palace in a bit of a black mood.

Delphin watched him go and chirped to himself, shaking his head and veering off into the depths on yet another mission from his king. All he knew was that the coming years would be fascinating to observe, as the royal family adjusted to its new member and the ramifications of his presence. All he knew was that he would enjoy the show.

/

**E/N**: Soooooo, I wasn't really sure if Delphin can talk-talk, since I don't have my copy of _The Last Olympian _with me and can't check. I know he's mentioned briefly, but I couldn't remember if he had any speaking lines. I consulted the legends I could find, which claim that Poseidon sent Delphin to woo Amphitrite back to him, and thus I kind of just assumed he could verbally talk while the rest of the dolphins do the whole telepathic thing, maybe?

If I have committed a grievous canon error, please feel free to set me straight. I would appreciate politeness though, and any help fellow lovers of the series can offer!

Hope you guys liked it! xD

**NEXT TIME**: Poseidon returns to Atlantis and continues to have a temper tantrum; Amphitrite contemplates stabbing him with his own trident. Triton sulks. Percy is adorable.

**PLEASE REVIEW!  
I love hearing your opinions… and it keeps me inspired, which means faster updates! ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Hey guys. Survived Dead Week without stabbing anyone with a fork; I deserve a medal. I should be studying and finishing my essays, but I'm not. You should be happy I love you all this much.

Here's CH5. We're heading into finals week at my college, so I might not be able to post the next chapter until after the 14th of December. Bear with me, guys! Unfortunately essays, projects, and tests are more important than writing right now.

_**WOW, 100 REVIEWS**_! You guys are incredible, _thank you_. Thank you also to those of you guys who set me straight on Delphin. I think I'm just going to keep him as vocal dialogue since that's how he was in the last chapter, so I don't confuse myself and in so doing confuse you.

Hope you don't find this too fluffy, but there are some things Percy's family needs to work out before I start speeding through his childhood…

**Disclaimer**: It all belongs to Rick Riordan. Well . . . the Greek Gods technically don't, but _these _versions of them do.

**/**

**Chapter Five  
**Bonding

Amphitrite ignored her mounting worry and shot a sharp look at Triton, who was standing to her left glaring at the wall and refusing to meet her eyes. Percy had awoken from his short nap and was cradled in her arms again, his head resting trustingly on her shoulder as he blinked sleepily.

"I do not understand, mother," Triton said finally in a tight voice. "Father has betrayed you yet again, and still you protect the spawn in your arms."

"His name is Percy," she reminded him mildly, rubbing gentle circles on Percy's back, "and for all the anger I harbor towards your father, I cannot be angry with him."

Triton rounded on her, his eyes fierce as he bit out, "_Why_?"

"Triton, he had no say in his creation. Percy had no say in who his father is, and no influence over the choices your father made. He played no part in his creation, and as such he is innocent. Tell me why I should blame him, when he cannot even speak or defend himself."

"Hera would hate him, were Zeus his father," he pointed out darkly.

"Hera hates all of Zeus' children, including the two he fathered by her," Amphitrite countered, raising an eyebrow. "She pitched your cousin Hephaestus off Olympus because he was imperfect, in case you had forgotten, and she holds little love for that mindless brute, Ares. I am _nothing_ like her. I have never truly hated the children your father has sired over the centuries, because they had no say in who their father was, either."

"So you are _not _angry with him?"

Amphitrite's eyes flashed. "Do not misunderstand me, son, I am _furious _with him for breaking his oath on the Styx and cheating on me yet again." Her eyes softened as she sighed, rubbing her forehead. "No matter what he does, I love him still, Gods help me."

Triton shifted uneasily, staring down at the moving mosaic on the floor that displayed their kingdom. "I am sorry that he hurt you, mother," he muttered, crossing his arms as if to protect himself from having to reveal such emotion.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," she reprimanded him gently. "I just ask that you please do not be angry with Percy. He does not understand what is happening. If you must be angry at someone, be angry at your father."

"I am," he promised darkly.

"I know you are, son. But you cannot fault him overly much. It is in the nature of the Gods to bed mortals. It always has been."

Suddenly feeling very tired, Triton's shoulders slumped. He opened his mouth to retort and closed it abruptly when his father stormed into the room looking like Hades warmed over.

Poseidon had no words for either of them. He instead settled his trident in its place beside his throne and strode over to Amphitrite, lifting Percy out of her arms.

As soon as Percy saw who was holding him, his face broke out in a sweet smile, his tiny hands reaching down to press against Poseidon's cheeks.

Just like that, Poseidon's anger was pushed to the back of his mind for the time being. His face relaxed from its tense expression as he returned the smile and pulled his boy down to gently kiss his forehead.

"Hello, Percy," he murmured, nuzzling the baby's cheek and making him giggle at the sensation of his beard across his sensitive skin. He lifted his eyes briefly to meet Amphitrite's, saying a quick and quiet, "Thank you." He nodded to Triton and strode from the room with Percy tucked securely against his shoulder and already dozing off again.

Poseidon made a beeline for the room he had furnished with the items from Sally's apartment. It had not been difficult to make a brief side trip and to will everything in the room back into the ocean. It was hard for him to do so, but he kept the photo albums as well. Many of the items he had ordered to be moved to the vacant underground palace he had built for Sa—for _her_. He had kept only a few items for the palace while the masons worked on a crib for his son, including the rocking chair from Montauk he knew she had loved.

As soon as he reached the room he slipped inside quietly, watching as Percy tilted his head around to study the room in the soft underwater lighting.

He sat on the rocking chair and picked up the most worn children's book from the apartment's collection, _Swimming With Dolphins._

Percy chattered excitedly and pulled the book open with clumsy fingers, running his pudgy hands over the colorful images. With a tender smile, he watched the baby, lifting a hand to run his fingers over his head and trail them through his son's soft hair. The baby beamed up at him with a sparkle in his eyes and pointed at the book.

"Would you like me to read it, little one?" he murmured, pushing off the floor with one foot and setting the chair rocking. With one hand he lifted his son a little higher on his chest and leaned back into the movement.

Poseidon read the story to him in a deep, soothing voice, smiling as Percy reverently ran his hands over the images of the little girl swimming on the reef with the dolphins. Halfway through the colorful pages, Percy's eyes were drooping, and by the end he was fast asleep curled into his shoulder, the baby's little cheek resting at the juncture between his neck and shoulder.

"You will swim with dolphins, my son," he promised, pressing a tender kiss to Percy's forehead. "I know you will love it, just as your mother did." His voice had tapered off to a pained whisper, as he rubbed soothing circles on his child's back.

There, Poseidon allowed himself to grieve, rocking his son back and forth in his mother's chair under the sea, feeling impossibly relieved that Zeus had not taken his son from him, too — silently vowing to himself that he would protect Percy for as long as he lived.

/

Three and a half weeks had passed in the city beneath the sea, a mere blink of time to the immortals.

An infant's loud cry split the peaceful city, echoing through the dark sea.

The fish outside the windows scattered as sharks stirred restlessly, reacting to the raging emotions of the littlest prince.

"Your child never _sleeps_, my lord," Amphitrite groaned, burying her face in the soft pillow. On the other side of the bed, Poseidon grunted into his own pillow. Despite popular belief, the Olympian gods _did _eat and sleep. Less than mortals, yes, but even for Poseidon three and a half weeks with no sleep was pushing it. Her husband had developed an intense fear of letting the baby out of his sight, though he would never admit it, and as a result he had pushed himself nearly past the point of exhaustion. He had finally relented when they moved Percy's crib into their room for the time being.

There was blessed silence again in the royal bedroom. Amphitrite was almost asleep again when a second cry, louder than the first, split the silence.

"_Poseidon_," she groaned, grabbing a free pillow and launching it across the bed at him.

"Your turn," he muttered, lobbing the pillow back half-heartedly.

Amphitrite rolled her eyes. "Gods," she muttered as she exhaustedly pulled herself up and to her feet, "always walking away and leaving us women with all the work. It is no wonder you do not know what in Hades to do with your infant son, my lord."

She left it unsaid that half-mortal children — especially _this _half-mortal child — made Triton's infancy seem like a stroll through the park by comparison. They were _much _needier than immortal children, and grew far slower.

Percy's cries were winding up and getting louder than ever. She bent over the bassinette cleverly fashioned by one of the palace masons to be in the shape of a seashell. Percy had kicked his sea-green blankets off of him, leaving him in naught but his cloth diaper.

At the sight of her, Percy cried louder, turning his head from side to side as if searching over her shoulder for someone else.

"Oh, little one," she sighed, scooping him up and smoothing a hand down his bare back. The baby leaned away from her and cried still louder, face turning red as two fat tears slid down his cheeks.

Pain and sympathy lanced through her. Three and a half weeks the baby had been with them so far, and he still searched for his mother. He liked her whenever they were alone. He burst into tears whenever Triton was near unless her son had adopted his human-looking guise, and would tolerate him as soon as he did. The one being he truly adored was Poseidon.

To be fair, she suspected it was because her son's skin was green and he always scowled, both of which frightened the baby, while he associated Poseidon with warmth and safety and love because some part of his tiny infant mind knew that Poseidon was his father.

Of course, it could also be that Poseidon had hardly set his son down since that night he returned from his talk with Hades in the Underworld. Their subjects had grown used to seeing the dark-haired infant nesled into his shoulder.

With a soft sigh, Amphitrite shifted the baby to her shoulder and glided over to Poseidon's side of the massive bed. He had yet to even crack an eye open a look at her, but when Percy wailed again — the loudest yet so far — he grumbled a curse in ancient Greek and snapped an eye open to stare blearily up at her.

"Your son," she said dryly, grasping the baby under his arms and holding him out like an offering.

Percy was still crying, gasping between each one in order to refill his lungs. He kicked his feet and squirmed, still looking around.

Sighing, Poseidon rolled onto his back and took him, holding the baby up to his face to peer at him.

"You get your lungs from your mother," Poseidon informed him grumpily.

Upon hearing his voice, Percy abruptly stopped mid cry and stared down at him with eyes still filled with tears. He blinked a few times to clear them from his vision. As soon as he recognized his father, he smiled toothlessly and placed his tiny hands on Poseidon's bearded cheeks, immediately starting what the palace as a whole had begun to identify as the "happy babbling".

"And that smile," Poseidon groaned helplessly, unable to stop the answering smile from spreading across his face. He pretended to eat the baby's fingers. Percy moved into a full-body laugh, kicking his feet against his father's bicep.

Percy was like a breath of fresh air in Atlantis, bringing joy, life, and energy back to the palace. No matter the mood anyone was in, one smile from the little baby would lighten their spirits immediately. There were few babies in Atlantis and it had been a long time indeed since a prince or princess had been born. As a result, everyone in the kingdom was fascinated by him. There were more visiting sea creatures now than there had been since Triton was born.

Poseidon sighed and settled the baby on his chest, nestled safely in the crook between his neck and shoulder. He closed his eyes and breathed evenly, letting the exhaustion wash over him once more. His raging emotions and the answering wrath of the sea had drained him for the past weeks; as a result, Amphitrite had all but threatened to knock him out with his own trident if he didn't get some sleep.

Amphitrite watched unobserved by either of them as Percy's limbs went slack, his little face hidden against the skin of her husband's neck. She could see the curve of one tiny rounded cheek and the shell of his small ear, and envied how comfortable he seemed to be in his father's arms. Poseidon was laying perfectly still as well, the anger and pain of the last weeks gone from his face as he slept holding his infant son close. Sprawled on his chest as he was, the baby rose and fell with each of his father's steady breaths, and for some reason the sight made her heart melt just a little more.

With a sigh, she settled back down on her side of the bed, a part of her wishing she could share in Poseidon's warmth as his son was.

/

Another month passed.

Amphitrite had found this new foray into motherhood terrifying. It had been centuries since they had had a child, and neither was quite sure what to do with him most of the time. Percy was growing quickly, having gotten a few of his teeth over the course of the last month. She had found his never ending cries to be equal parts heartbreaking and annoying, even as her heart ached because there was no way to make it better for him.

Poseidon had searched in vain for something to give Percy to chew on to relieve the pain, as nothing was to his liking. In the end, Percy had spent nearly the entire month gnawing on the non-business end of Poseidon's trident. While finding this extremely amusing, his subjects were careful never to laugh about it or mention it in Poseidon's presence. Their king was, understandably, a _bit_ attached to his symbol of power.

When Triton and his sisters had been born, they had been small for a very short period of time and had not needed all the things that Percy needed. For one, the infant had despised most of the foods they tried to feed him. Amphitrite had been terrified the baby would starve to death, and the world would end from her husband's corresponding wrath. While sampling different ideas, they had fed him miniscule amounts of nectar and ambrosia to keep his strength up.

Not knowing what else to do, Poseidon had sent emissaries to the surface in search of baby food products, and they had returned with huge boxes full of various surface world baby food items. Poseidon has been just as baffled as his subjects as to why human children were fed mashed-up food of revolting colors from tiny glass jars. They had then discovered that Percy adored carrots and sweet potatoes, but despised peas and lima beans. The palace cooks took this to heart and fed him what he liked along with surface world formula that she and Poseidon fed him through bottles.

Amphitrite held such a bottle in her hand now, warmed in the hearth while she chatted softly with Hestia.

If Hestia had wondered what a sea goddess was doing with a human-looking baby bottle, she tactfully did not mention it, though Amphitrite was sure she had to have seen a glimpse of Percy or heard talk of him at some point over the past weeks. She only hoped the goddess would keep it to herself until the winter solstice, at least. The world was in a bad enough state of turmoil as it was, given Poseidon's temper—they hardly needed for Zeus' temper to explode as well.

Mentally shaking herself from her stupor, Amphitrite hurried back to the nursery Poseidon had ordered for the room directly next to theirs. The architects had added a doorway between the two rooms so that Percy was easily reached and heard during the night. She was nearly there when she heard the soft murmuring of a voice and froze, fear stabbing into her heart as her mind jumped to the worst possibility: _assassin_. Her husband was not without enemies, after all.

_Percy_, she screamed internally, making quick and silent movements towards the nursery, grabbing the sword leaning against the wall of her and Poseidon's bedroom as she did so. She was ready to lift it in defense of her son when she realized that the baby was not in danger.

For a moment, she had trouble processing what she was hearing. A quick glance at the bed confirmed that Poseidon was there and deeply asleep, his trident in the holder beside their bed and his chest bare from the waist up. That sight alone made her relax, for he would never sleep through any danger to their son, no matter _how _exhausted he may be.

Peering around the doorway entrance, Amphitrite smiled immediately in reaction.

Triton was sitting cross-legged on the floor, having adopted his human-looking form to keep Percy from crying. He was angled away from the doorway, but the light from the torches outside the windows gave just enough for her to see that Percy was cradled in his arms and fussing softly. A bottle was resting beside his hip, half-empty.

"Shh," soothed Triton, "mother and father are exhausted enough as it is with you constantly carrying on as you do. I have never seen them sleep this much before, and am slightly impressed by your ability to exhaust all of us to previously unknown levels. _Slightly_, mind you," he emphasized. "Sleep, little one. I promise you are safe with me. I will not even pitch you off a cliff into the depths; would not dare, honestly, for I fear Dolphin would kill me himself if Father did not beat him to it. Perhaps when you are older, we can be friends, though I doubt I will like you for long. If you are anything like father and I, you will be an arrogant little brat."

She covered her mouth to keep the laugh back. Arrogant little brat described Triton's brief childhood perfectly. He had been insufferable until they sent him to Camp Fish-Blood, the sea's version of a hero training camp. He had been matured when he returned, no doubt pummeled repeatedly by the Ichthyocentaur trainers Aphros and Bythos. Well, mostly Bythos. Aphros had likely just beaten him with knitting needles and baking utensils rather than swords and spears as Bythos would have done.

Amphitrite had observed Triton's demeanor slowly changing as the weeks passed. It gradually shifted from a true scowl, to a half-hearted scowl, to a scowl he seemed to force whenever she was watching him. A part of her found this amusing, for she was his mother and could clearly see the way his eyes had gradually softened over time whenever Percy stuck his arms up to him in a silent plea to be held. It had been an easy observation that he reacted to Percy's plea and picked him up quicker each time, until all Percy had to do was look up at him and the next moment Triton was lifting him into his arms. She knew her son had fallen for the baby just as hard as she and Poseidon had, even though he would never admit it.

She suddenly realized that Percy had been strangely quiet the past week or so, not waking them up or distracting them from their duties at god-awful hours as he had been before. Perhaps this was why?

"You are not _too_ terrible," Triton continued to murmur, tenderly stroking his fingers down Percy's downy cheek. The baby's fussing had quieted into barely-audible sniffling. "When you are not crying, you can actually be quite entertaining, but tell anyone I said that and I _will _pitch you off a cliff into the depths, Delphin be damned," he threatened with no heat. "I am expected to be big and tough and heartless, you see. Warriors are more impressive that way. I cannot go around gushing about how cute you are or no one will ever take me seriously."

Amphitrite carefully put the sword down and made sure she was in the shadows, unobserved by her sons.

_Sons_, she realized silently. Percy was her son, now. Her life would be different and empty if the baby were to vanish. She loved him as she had loved Triton, and strove to teach and protect him as she had her own children.

Until that moment she had never dared think it, but it was true — Sally Jackson would always be his mother by birth, and they would never let him forget her and how she had loved him. But _she _was his mother now, because it would be she who soothed his tears and his hurts, she who would teach him to talk and walk and be an honorable warrior.

" — big enough to walk," Triton was saying, "I will teach you how to fight, too. The Ichthyocentaurs have little love for demigod heroes, but you will do fine at Camp Half-Blood. Father will not let you go there for a long time, though, so in the meantime I can teach you everything you need to know. If you are the prophesized child, I think you will help us win the coming war. As Delphin pointed out, you are here to stay so I might as well get used to it. I kind of like you already, anyway, or at least I do when you refrain from screaming and drooling all over me."

Amphitrite slowly glided back and away from the doorway. When she settled into bed beside her exhausted husband, she was smiling lovingly.

"I fear for him," Poseidon rumbled softly from beside her, his voice rough from exhaustion.

She jumped a little upon hearing his voice and turned to observe him watching her through eyes heavily lidded with exhaustion. "Sleep, my lord," she soothed, placing a gentle hand on his chest and feeling his higher-than-normal heat associated with high consumption of ambrosia and nectar. "You have had a trying week in negotiations with the mermen."

"Sometimes, wife, I think undersea politics are far too complicated," he rumbled with a very faint upward quirk of his lips. His eyes darkened as a sigh parted his lips. "They fear the boy, and that I will turn him against them."

"Why would they fear such a thing?" she murmured, scooting a little closer so as to not be overheard by Triton in the next room.

"My children are powerful, wife," he reminded her tiredly and without twitching a muscle, "they always have been. The last, combined with my brothers' children, nearly ended the world yet again."

"I remember, my lord," Amphitrite promised, preferring not to think of that portion of time. "Why, though, would they fear you unleashing him upon your own kingdom?"

"I know not, my wife." Poseidon sighed again and rolled partially towards her, giving her a full view of the exhaustion in the set of his expression and the stiffness of his shoulders. His internal battle of emotions and the wrath it caused had been sapping his energy for nearly two months now, eliciting fierce storms, two hurricanes, earthquakes, a small tsunami, and massive flooding of the surface world. Despite this, his anger had yet to even fluctuate.

It was a wonder Zeus had not marched down here to demand what the issue was.

Unfortunately, he probably knew Poseidon would order every sea monster to eat him if he ever did such a foolish thing, that is, if Poseidon did not stab him with his trident first.

"I always thought they were an overly-suspicious lot, my lord," she sniffed, remembering the many headaches politics with the merpeople had caused over the millennia.

Poseidon huffed out a laugh at that, his eyes slipping closed before he forced them open again. The raw emotion he displayed made her heart flip over.

"I am terrified of losing him, Amphitrite," he murmured, staring down at his hand, fisted beside his head. "I wonder now if _this _was why my brother ordered us to avoid our demigod children. My attachment to him is very strong. _Dangerously_ strong."

Emotion surged in her and she promptly shoved it back down. "As is mine."

"He will be hunted all his life, Amphitrite," he whispered, uncurling his fingers before flexing them again, tighter this time. She watched his tendons flex with the movement and hesitantly reached out to place her much smaller hand over his.

"Together, we can protect him, my lord," she promised solemnly. "He is as much in my heart as he is in yours."

For a long moment, Poseidon said nothing, his eyes roving over her expression as if searching for something. Whatever it was, he seemed to find it, for he smiled at her and allowed himself to relax and level his breathing.

"Perhaps, to soothe the mermen, we ought to send him to Camp Fish-Blood for a time," Amphitrite mused aloud as she rolled onto her back.

"Hmm," he agreed, already halfway towards the exhausted sleep of an energy-sapped God of Olympus.

"Bythos would be a fitting teacher until Chiron can take over," she continued, giving his hand a gentle squeeze before withdrawing it to pull the covers up. "What say you, my lord?"

When she turned her head, Poseidon was fast asleep. Rolling her eyes, Amphitrite wiggled a little to get comfortable, and with a soft smile she followed him into oblivion with the lull of Triton's voice soft in her ears.

/

**E/N**: *sing-song voice* This chapter is impoooooortant… and was quite fun to write. Though this whole raging-emotions-thing leaves ME emotionally drained.

Hope you guys liked it!

As someone predicted, Triton is just as lost as the rest of the kingdom, though he'd rather die than admit it. ;)

From here on out, I will likely be skipping through his childhood, focusing only on important parts and some fluffy stuff, of course.

**Reviews are loved!  
PLEASE drop me a note, let me know what you think! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **FINALS WEEK HAS CONCLUDED. I survived. Quite shocked about that fact… I was sure my Chemistry final was going to do me in, but alas, the Gods were kind.

Sorry this was late. It's been insane getting home and having to deal with family. Also, its really freaking hot where I live.

I'm kind of nervous to how you're going to take this one. Hope you like it! :\

**Disclaimer**: It all belongs to Rick Riordan, friends…

/

**Chapter Six  
**In Which Zeus Gets Blasted in the Face by the Arctic Ocean

Amphitrite held Percy on her hip, the dark-haired baby watching solemnly as Poseidon grabbed his trident and rolled his shoulders to steady himself for the trial of patience yet to come.

It was time for the Winter Solstice yet again, and the first time he would be seeing his brother in person since Zeus had murdered Sally. While his anger had calmed — somewhat — he was nowhere near over her death. With Amphitrite's insistence he had managed to stop wreaking havoc on the surface world. For now, anyway.

"Be careful," Amphitrite pleaded as she shifted Percy to her other hip, offering the sleepy baby a tender smile and a kiss on the top of his head. The poor little guy was only half-awake, woken from his slumber by Triton and Poseidon's argument.

"You cannot attack him, father," Triton reminded Poseidon, his fierce scowl not managing to hide his worry completely. It still shone clearly in his eyes.

"I am not foolish enough to attack him, Triton. Have a little faith," Poseidon said dryly, bending to kiss Percy on the forehead. Percy smiled sleepily and snuggled into Amphitrite, swiftly returning to the slumber he had been pulled from.

"What about Percy?" he pressed, looking between his father and his baby half-brother. "You must remember the plan. _Do_ try not to let your temper interfere, Father."

Poseidon signed. "I'm going to be late," he pointed out, glancing upwards, "and I am not about to tell him that Percy is still alive. I know the plan. Percy being alive will remain a secret until the time is right. It's the only way to keep him safe."

Triton's shoulders sagged as he jerked his chin downwards sharply in a form of acknowledgement.

Amphitrite rubbed Percy's back and nodded. "Good luck, my lord," she said softly.

"I will see you soon," Poseidon promised, offering them a faint smile before dissolving into bubbles and vanishing from sight.

/

Olympus was bustling with activity, the Gods pouring in for the Winter Solstice. Poseidon materalized in the center of the throne room moments after leaving Atlantis.

"So, Uncle P, you gonna tell us why you've been having an epic hissy fit for the past five months?" Apollo wondered as he gracefully swept his cloak aside and took his seat.

Poseidon did not answer, settling himself in his own throne and watching with cold indifference as the rest of the family did the same. He shared a brief look with Hades, quickly hiding the flash of surprise at the understanding that shone for a millisecond in his older brother's dark eyes. Of all the Olympians, Hades was the sole among them who knew the source of the Sea God's violent anger.

"Uncle P?" Apollo pressed, ignoring the warning looks Hermes and Hestia were shooting him, as if to suggest him to shut up before he got blasted by a piece of the Arctic Ocean.

"What, Poseidon, not going to take the opportunity to whine about whatever it is that has you in such a pissy mood?" Athena mocked, crossing her arms and leaning back with a smirk on her lips.

"I am in no mood for your games, Athena," Poseidon said coldly and without even looking at her.

Shocked, Athena stared at him. She did not know what she found more surprising, his clear anger or his use of her actual name.

There was silence in the throne room as everyone fidgeted, not quite sure what to do without the classic opener of Poseidon and Athena launching insults at each other.

In his usual dramatic flourish, Zeus appeared in time with a clap of thunder and bright flash of lightning, staring down his nose at his seated family. He said nothing, merely stood there and glowered at them as if wishing they would all eat voltage.

Poseidon turned slowly to face Zeus, his eyes and expression betraying nothing. "Well?" he prompted in an icy tone. "Get on with it, you good-for-nothing Air-For-Brains, and pull the lightning rod out of your rear end while you are at it."

Hades' lips twitched into a grin he quickly smothered as the throne room fell silent once again, shock permeating through them all.

Zeus drew in a deep breath and exhaled it slowly, a little surprised by his brother's attitude. Normally, it was Hades who was mouthing off about everything and Poseidon sitting there in stoic silence, somehow managing to mock him without saying a word or twitching his expression in anyway whatsoever.

This winter solstice was apparently going to be different.

Evidently, his brothers had at some point decided to switch roles.

Without a word, Zeus sat on his throne and stroked his master bolt reverently while he formulated a response.

The entire throne room was quiet, all eyes on Poseidon, who had his cheek resting on his left fist and his right curled around his trident tight enough for his knuckles to be white. About him was an air of fury, yet at the same time indifference, as he showed absolutely no outward reaction to the intense scrutiny of his entire dysfunctional family.

"Yo, Uncle P, did you just call pops a _Good For Nothing Air-For-Brains_?" Apollo exclaimed, his eyes wide with awe. "Like, _no one_, does that."

"He just did," Athena pointed out, rolling her eyes.

Apollo grinned, the light blinding the goddess of wisdom for a moment.

"I _knew _Uncle P was my favorite for a reason!" the sun God chirped.

"Apollo," Zeus thundered, ramming his bolt against the ground. "_How many times_ have I told you t — "

A blast of freezing water to the face cut him off mid-sentence.

All eyes spun to Poseidon in shock, who had not shifted or altered his position or expression in any way. He hadn't even twitched.

"Oops," he deadpanned. "My hand must have . . . _slipped_," he trailed off with a smirk, raising a challenging eyebrow at his younger brother.

The silence was broken by Hades, who abruptly started to snicker into his hand at the expression of shock on Zeus' face. His expression was quickly morphing into anger, which Hades found impossible to take seriously given his brother currently resembled a drowned rat in a pinstriped business suit.

Apollo quickly followed suit, Hermes a half-beat behind, as Ares snorted gleefully and Aphrodite had to bite her lip to hold back her own giggle. Hephaestus blinked, a clear sign of shock for the stoic God. Dionysus almost fell off his chair, his mouth gaping open like a fish while he clutched his can of Diet Coke. Even Hestia, only one half of her face visible given the way she was turned while she sat by the hearth, cracked a smile.

Only Athena and Hera showed no outward reaction other than Athena's cheek twitching faintly and Hera's eyes narrowing dangerously as Demeter blandly suggested Zeus would feel better if he ate cereal, a comment the room at large ignored.

"Poseidon," growled Zeus, resisting the urge to point his master bolt at his older brother, "is this the moment when you tell us what has been causing your epic hissy fit of the last — "

Another blast to the face, colder this time, and with enough force to make Zeus's face sting.

"Oops," Poseidon repeated blandly, "must have slipped again."

"POSEIDON," Zeus thundered as real thunder cracked above them, shaking the throne room.

It did not impress his brother in the slightest.

"So, Zeus, have _you _ever slipped and blasted people to bits?" Poseidon said flatly, a hint of the anger he was feeling flashing in his eyes.

Across the room, Hades abruptly straightened, studying his brother the Earthshaker with calculating eyes and wondering to himself if his blockheaded stubborn-as-a-mule brother would choose _now _of all times to pick a fight with Zeus. With his eyes he silently conveyed that now was not the greatest time, while at the same time pondering what his brother's end game was.

Poseidon ignored him. "Oh, forgive me, I forgot — how could you _ever _make a mistake, you are the _almighty _God of Olympus who needs no one save himself and who _never _makes mistakes because you are oh-so-_perfect_."

The rest of the Gods and Goddesses shifted uncomfortably at the implication, eyes flicking between the two brothers. Not even Apollo dared to crack a joke, seeming to realize at the same time the rest of them did that Poseidon's anger was not a random stroke of his temper, and that this was _very _serious: Zeus had angered him in a _big _way, and the last time that had happened had not been pretty.

"Did you just insult me?" Zeus wondered in a soft tone, his eye twitching madly as he gritted his teeth in anger and clutched his master bolt like a lifeline.

"Of course I did, you nimrod," snapped Poseidon, gripping his trident still tighter as he abandoned all pretense of indifference and glared at his brother. "Tell them, brother: tell them how you struck down two women and three innocent children, simply _because you could_."

Zeus' shoulders stiffened as he stared at Poseidon with a mixture of anger, surprise, and wariness.

"Well, go on," mocked Poseidon, waving his hand dramatically towards the rest of the throne room.

Zeus' teeth were clenched so tightly his face was turning red, but he stubbornly remained silent.

Poseidon's eyes were teeming with rage, the air around them picking up as storms started to roll in on New York yet again. The seas began their angry churning one more, the angry waves assaulting the shores of New York with no mercy. "Tell them how you murdered my child and his mother, murdered Hades' two children and their mother, and yet _two _of your demigod spawn walk the Earth safe with _their_ mother."

Deafening silence filled the throne room.

Hades' eye twitched at the reminder.

"Your child was dangerous," Zeus said, finally, hating that he felt like he had to explain himself to his bloke of a brother.

"My child was a _baby_," Poseidon growled, half rising from his chair before forcing himself to sit back down. Even though he knew that Percy was safe in Atlantis being guarded by Triton, all the anger and pain from that day skyrocketed back to the surface of his mind and was working him back up into a rage. "He was guilty of nothing, he barely even got to live!"

"He had to be stopped." Zeus shifted in his chair, glaring at his older brother. "Especially considering what happened _last _time . . ."

Poseidon lost it. "You have no right to go around murdering our children," he bellowed as he leapt to his feet, taking great heaving breaths to regain his control, "_especially _considering that Hades and I do not go around murdering _yours_!"

"Not without lack of trying," Hades growled furiously, ignoring his family as they abruptly swiveled around to look at him. "Your living children will have a lifetime of hardship, Air-For-Brains, mark my words."

"Your children are dangerous!" Zeus protested, having momentarily forgotten everyone in the room save his two older brothers. The other Olympians watched the exchange with interest, eyes bouncing back and forth between the Big Three as if watching a tennis match.

"As are yours!" Hades snapped, jumping to his feet as well and moving to stand at Poseidon's side. The significance of his movement was not lost on the rest of the Olympians. "Your children are even more powerful than ours at times, and have been just as destructive, if not _more destructive_, over the centuries!"

Zeus' eyes narrowed to electric blue slits. "You swore an oath on the River Styx, an oath that you broke," he reminded them coldly.

"_I _broke no such oath!" Hades protested hotly, glaring at his brother with pure hate as Poseidon protested on Hades' behalf in a much louder tone.

"YOU broke the oath first, Zeus, and you punished those involved purely to cover your own mistakes!" Poseidon growled. "You murdered our children, took their mothers from this earth violently with your master bolt." He slammed his trident to the ground between his feet. "Remember this, brother: everything that happens from this moment on, everything that will cause you frustration and pain, _you brought down upon yourself_."

"Is that a threat?" Zeus shouted furiously.

Hades sneered at his brother's ignorance as Poseidon sharply jerked his chin up in a signal of defiant affirmative.

"The _only _reason I have not yet declared war is to spare the innocent demigod children who will be caught in the crossfire," said Poseidon tightly, gripping his trident in his hand and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Hades. "They do not deserve to pay for your idiocy."

"But give us a reason," Hades finished darkly, "and it will mean _war_."

Silence fell in the throne room as the master bolt crackled, the air thick with tension. None dared to say a word, wide and frightened eyes darting between the three brothers. Never before had the animosity between the three been this thick, and _never _had Hades and Poseidon sided against Zeus in such a fashion. Never before had the brink of war, the possibility of destruction for Olympus, loomed so close.

Poseidon and Hades shared a look, and with one last nasty look at their little brother, sneered and vanished from the room, leaving the Olympians in stunned silence and Zeus in a state of pure fury.

/

Amphitrite's nerves grew as she sensed the seas change to anger yet again, a clear sign that Poseidon had lost his temper. She bit her lip and struggled to focus on Delphin's reports, but as time wore on and the seas continued to rage, her nervousness and worry only grew.

Delphin seemed to sense this and bobbed his head gently. "Go to him, my lady," he said quietly. She was moving out of the room before he finished speaking and hurrying as fast as she could back to the throne room.

Triton was there, seated on his throne with Percy cradled against his chest, fast asleep. He was sprawled comfortably, one leg thrown over the armrest of the throne as he foot jiggled restlessly, while his other foot rested flat on the ground. His head was tipped back and his eyes were fixed on the ceiling.

"Father is furious," he said as she moved towards him, rather unnecessarily and more as a way to speak what was on his mind. Amphitrite could feel the sea's anger just as well as her son could, but she understood her boy and knew it was a way for him to vocalize his gnawing worry without actually having to say it.

"I can feel it," she assured him, moving to sit in her throne beside him. "Your father knows what is at stake. He knows how important it is to keep Percy's existence a secret."

"Do you think Zeus will try to kill him as soon as he makes it to Camp?" Triton wondered, unconsciously lifting his right hand to cup the back of the baby's head. It was a protective gesture she knew well, for Poseidon did it several times a day.

"I doubt he will risk open war with your father." Amphitrite sighed and smoothed the fabric of her dress over her thighs as she struggled to voice her own concerns. "Though he has been foolish in the past, Triton, so I simply cannot say. He will be furious at your father for keeping Percy from him, but at this point, I really do not believe your father cares."

"He does not," Poseidon confirmed as he appeared before them, looking angry and relieved all at the same time.

"Well, it could not have been that bad, seeing as you were not pitched into Tartarus," Triton drawled as he straightened slowly, careful not to jostle the baby asleep on his shoulder.

"It is done," Poseidon said gravely, leaning on his trident and releasing a slow breath. "Zeus remains blind to the fact that Percy is alive."

"So he is safe," Amphitrite sighed, sagging against her throne in relief.

"He is safe," he agreed, reaching down to clasp Triton's shoulder.

The three adults left the second part unsaid, but it hovered on the edges of their minds all the same.

_For now._

/

**E/N**: And there you have it, the Zeus vs. Poseidon showdown, added in by popular demand. I wasn't originally going to put it in, but as it turned out it's going to help the plot in the long run.

Hope this held up to people's standards . . . tried really hard to keep the Gods in character for what little they were mentioned. I figured Ares would get a kick out of the whole scene because he loves war and isn't particularly fond of Zeus.

I have also gotten a lot of reviews asking if Percy will be going to Camp — and he **WILL**! And let me tell you friends, I am rubbing my hands in glee and cackling madly at all the fun I will have when I get to writing those scenes.

Anyway, drop me a note, let me know what you think!

**REVIEWS ARE LOVED AND MAKE ME WRITE FASTER!  
:D**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Shameless fluff of Percy growing up deep beneath the sea…with plot sprinkled in. Like, tiny rainbow sprinkles but hey the sprinkles are there so just roll with it.

_**I REGRET NOTHING!**_

Also, Tumblr has ruined my life.

That is all.

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing, y'all.

**/**

**Chapter Seven  
**Snapshots

Poseidon shook his head and muttered under his breath as he materialized outside Atlantis after a long day of talks with the mermen. He was glad that the solstice had gone by so quickly and he was able to leave when he had, allowing him to deal with more pressing matters beneath the waves.

He rubbed a tired hand through his hair, thankful that the ruse had worked. Zeus would focus his anger on him now instead of the child, and would have no reason to believe that he had not in fact killed the child as he believed. It meant that Percy would be safe, at least for the time being.

And that was all he cared about.

Amphitrite and Triton were in the throne room, discussing undersea issues with Delphin and two mermen captains, who listened intently to his wife's every word. Amphitrite may have _appeared _to be small and delicate, but she could gut enemies like the best of them if the occasion called for it.

The two mermen captains – Carthos and Ethos – noticed him first and immediately bowed in respect.

"Your Majesty," they greeted him in perfect unison, their mouths stretching into smiles over pointed, shark-like teeth.

Poseidon inclined his head in turn and moved to be beside Amphitrite. "Where is Percy?" he murmured to her.

Amphitrite nodded to the corner, where Percy was sitting in a onesie banging wooden blocks together and babbling to himself under the watchful eye of Triton. Poseidon smiled in his direction before returning his attention to the two mermen.

"The sand sharks had a minor revolt over the death of their young prince this morning," Delphin informed him solemnly. "My kin managed to talk them out of doing something foolish."

"I am glad to hear it," said Poseidon gravely. "Who killed the shark child, then?"

"A fisherman's boat," Delphin responded gravely. "Caught the little fellow up in a net, they did."

"Surface people," Triton muttered ominously from the corner, casting a dark scowl upwards. "They never heed the creatures of the deep, do they?"

"Rarely," agreed Poseidon.

"My lord," Carthos addressed him, turning his yellow eyes to Percy. "What is to become of the child?"

Poseidon stared at him as if he had just grown a second head. "To become of him?" he repeated in astonishment.

"Yes," the merman nodded. "What power is he to have?"

"Did Aphros put you up to this?" asked Poseidon.

Carthos blinked but did not respond.

With a sigh, Poseidon bent to scoop Percy up in his arms. The baby squealed in surprise and giggled as soon as he realized who it was. He turned Percy to face the merman, and the baby stared up at him with wide eyes, gnawing on the edge of the block.

"He is my son, Carthos," said Poseidon with utter seriousness. "And as my son, he is a prince. The kingdom will treat him as such, and he will have the same responsibilities as Triton."

This did not seem to overly faze Carthos.

"Amphitrite wishes for him to have a teacher," Poseidon continued, giving the little baby a tiny bounce that made him grin, drool sliding down his chin. "Will you accept the task, Carthos son of Bythos?"

"I will," Carthos said formally and with a bow. Ethos bowed as well, and in unison, the two mermen said gravely, "Hail Perseus, son of Poseidon, Prince of Atlantis."

**/**

Poseidon slammed the end of his trident onto the ground, and immediate silence fell in the throne room. His subjects fell silent and looked up at the dais where he stood with Amphitrite and Triton seated on either side of him.

Today, however, the scene was different, for in Amphitrite's lap sat his infant demigod son.

"Subjects, I bid thee welcome on this fine morning," he adressed them, lifting a hand in greeting. Formality was necessary but annoying, he much preferred modern speech patterns—much less tedious.

"And thee," the crowd responded quietly and with a unanimous bow of respect. Many of the mermen present bowed as well, not because they had to but because they respected him enough that they wanted to.

"I have called this meeting to announce the newest member of the royal family," he continued, sweeping his hand regally to where Amphitrite sat with Percy in her lap, idly gnawing on his fist and watching all the people and swirling colors with fascination.

That got everyone's attention, as murmuring rose, everyone turning to whisper at their neighbors.

With patience borne of long practice, Poseidon lifted his hand into the air yet again and waited calmly for silence to fall.

"I am well aware of the curiosity of my subjects since the day I entered the palace with a human-looking baby," Poseidon assured them in the voice he reserved for addressing crowds—deep but soft, with no edge to his tone, the voice that Amphitrite had jokingly nicknamed his "Patience of the Sea" voice.

"Is he human, my lord?" someone in the crowd asked.

"He would have drowned long ago if he were," a second voice responded dryly. Poseidon glanced down to see a trainer from Camp Fish-Blood, Aphros, idly knitting. The bluish-skinned Ichthyocentaur had hardly glanced upwards through the entire presentation, present only to speak on behalf of Camp Fish-Blood and the other trainers of Mer-Heroes.

"The child is a demigod," announced Poseidon, reaching down to trade Amphitrite the trident for his son, lifting Percy into his arms and shifting him so that Percy was facing out towards the crowd, held in place by one of his father's arms under his bottom and the other across his chest.

Everyone stared at the baby with curiosity, some with caution, and others with tenderness in their gazes. Babies were a rare sight in Atlantis and each and every infant of any species was protected fiercely. There was a smile present on most faces as they studied the child who was, Poseidon admitted silently, adorable.

"I give you Perseus Jackson, Prince of Atlantis."

This time, there were no murmurs, merely a quiet moment where everyone studied the infant. As one, the crowd bowed silently, and just like that the ceremony was over and Percy was a part of the royal family.

From the hearth, Hestia watched all of this and smiled tenderly.

Not for many years had she seen her brother this happy.

**/**

Percy's first word was _no_.

Poseidon found this fact vastly amusing, as for the past four months, Amphitrite had been repeating mama so many times it was nearly every other word in her sentences, and Triton had been attempting to coach the baby to say his name for the same amount of time. He, too, often tried to get his son to call him papa or daddy, but in a typical bout of Sally-style stubbornness, the baby outdid them all.

"Percy, finish your breakfast," Amphitrite was coaxing, holding the spoon of oatmeal up to the baby's mouth. Percy's lips were clamped tightly shut as he shook his head in denial.

He only opened his mouth long enough to shout, "NO!" before closing it again.

"Amphitrite, I do not believe he enjoys this form of sustenance," he suggested as Triton and several of their servants looked on in interest. Their amusement was palpable — the king and queen of the sea being outsmarted by an infant demigod was certainly not something they got to see every day.

"He must eat, my lord, and too much ambrosia and nectar is dangerous," she returned without looking at him, moving the spoon in a circular motion that the baby followed with wary sea green eyes. "Just a bite, little prince? For mama?"

"No!"

"Will you do it for me, sweet one?"

"No!" Percy wailed just as insistently, and she took her opportunity to shove the spoon in his mouth. He snapped his mouth shut abruptly and swallowed on reflex, glaring up at her indignantly and looking so much like Poseidon that she couldn't help but smile.

Triton was snickering into his own breakfast, winking at his little brother. Percy beamed over his victory and immediately started squirming when Amphitrite came up with a new spoonful of the vile food.

Amphitrite sighed. The baby was just as stubborn as his father.

"He gets this from you," she informed her husband dryly, raising an eyebrow at him as she stared across the table.

Unabashed, Poseidon only grinned and shrugged in an unapologetic fashion.

**/**

Peace and quiet became distant memories in Atlantis as Percy grew into a toddler.

It seemed to Poseidon that Percy had crawled for half a second before he was up and walking, and moments after that, running. The boy was a terror, a ball of uncontrollable energy. That combined with his constant non-stop baby chatter drove most of the palace to distraction constantly.

Poseidon mused about how different his life had been before bringing Percy to Atlantis as he chased his wayward toddler down the hallway.

Percy got into everything. Every loud crash was followed by a sigh, because the baby had naturally gotten into something else he should not have been in. In fact, it had start to become a normality for the baby to smash things, especially when he was frightened or throwing a temper tantrum.

The sea was strong in him; Poseidon knew that long years of training would be necessary to help his son control his powers. He had no doubt that if he had been raised as a normal demigod, he would develop the control himself through trial and error or need (as in battle, when his powers would aid him without his conscious effort), but being able to actually teach his demigod child how to control the sea was something he had never been able to do before.

He found himself quite looking forward to being able to teach his son.

"Percy," he called, increasing his pace as his son rounded the corner on still wobbly toddler legs. He came around the corner just in time to see Percy bump into a servant who promptly jumped from surprise, the tray unbalancing and everything scattering, some of it sinking to the floor with a dull _thunk_ while the lighter items floated aimlessly.

Judging by the items, Poseidon knew that the items on the tray had been intended for his wife's enjoyment. The servant looked furious, opening his mouth to yell at the child, having not noticed his king still hurrying down the hallway. Before the servant could utter a word, however, Percy toddled over to the lidded container near him, picked it up, and offered it to the disgruntled man with an apologetic expression.

"Sowwy," said Percy sorrowfully, eyes wide and earnest.

Realization dawned, and the servant dropped the tray altogether and bowed at the child, accepting the container without comment. The poor fellow paled still further upon seeing Poseidon hurrying forward to pluck Percy off the floor and into his arms.

"Your Majesty," the servant squeaked, with a hurried bow that nearly unsettled the remnants of his tray.

Poseidon waved his hand idly, the currents depositing everything back on the tray with ease. "My apologies," he said calmly. "I am not yet used to having a child such as him, and he often gets away from me."

"Yes sire." The servant hesitated, as if wondering whether to voice his question. Clearly he decided his king was in a good mood, because he asked, "Sire, does he always walk everywhere? Can he not . . . swim?"

"Sim?" Percy repeated, tilting his head to the side and looking curiously between the servant and his father.

"Yes, swim," Poseidon said affectionately, pressing a kiss to the baby's temple.

Privately, Poseidon wondered if children were adorable simply because it made it nearly impossible to have angry feelings towards them. He should be irritated that he had been chasing the baby around for nearly an hour, but instead, he found himself wanting to smile at his son's openly curious expression.

Tilting his head to one side, unknowingly in the exact same fashion as he son had just demonstrated and nearly making the servant grin at the likeness, Poseidon studied his subject for a moment and considered his question. Honestly, he had never considered that before, Percy was simply Percy and did what he wanted to do for the most part. It had never occurred to him that Percy could have technically been swimming around this entire time, instead of walking (or as was more common, running) down the halls.

"I assume," he said thoughtfully, "that because Percy is half-human, walking is just as normal to him as swimming is. To be honest, I had never considered it in that fashion before."

Bobbing his head, the servant bowed deeply and requested to continue his duties.

"I apologize for his interruption," Poseidon said formally and with a head-tilt of apology. The servant nodded with a second bow, retrieved his tray, and hurried back down the corridor towards the throne room where Amphitrite was holding a council of some kind or another (he rarely made an effort to keep track of which one, seeing as there were so many she oversaw).

Percy had watched the exchange quietly and beamed at him as soon as Poseidon looked down.

"And _you_," Poseidon said darkly, poking him gently in the stomach, "will you ever listen at me when I tell you to stop this minute and refrain from pulling the tablecloth off the dining room table again?"

Giggling now, Percy squirmed in an attempt to evade the tickling, to no avail. By the time he made it back to the throne room, Percy was out of breath and bright red from giggling so much, but his smile was wide and earnest and Poseidon found himself wishing Percy could stay this age forever.

Still slightly breathless, Percy planted a sloppy kiss on his cheek. "Lub you, dada," he proclaimed cheerfully.

Throat suddenly tight, Poseidon kissed his son on the forehead and then rubbed his cheek against his because the feel of his beard always made Percy laugh.

With a wealth of tenderness, he brushed Percy's dark hair off his forehead and smiled, quietly saying, "I love you too, son."

**/**

**E/N: ***squeeeeeeee* Guys, I can't help it really. Cute baby Percy is too hard to resist. Seriously. xD

**REVIEWS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED!  
Seriously, I love you all.**

***mwah***


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Next chappie, y'all. I started college up again so I'll be busy but I'll do my best. Made this one longer than usual as a present for not updating faster.

Know that I love you all dearly for reading/reviewing/favoriting/following/etc. This would not be possible without your continued support, and I wish I had time to reply to everyone, but I will do it here. THANK YOU!

**Disclaimer**: Its Rick Riordan's, not mine.

/

**Chapter Eight  
**Little Prince

Poseidon and Amphitrite quickly learned that Percy was not just gifted with his powers over the sea—he was unbelievably powerful. He did not dare mention it in her presence, but Poseidon thought that perhaps he was the most powerful of his children ever born. He had no way of knowing if it was his constant presence in the sea that made him stronger, or if Percy had just been born with that much raw power within him waiting to be molded and controlled.

With every passing day, it looked more and more likely that Perseus Jackson was the child of prophesy.

This was taken with a grain of salt, however, because as far as anyone knew any of the children could be the one of prophesy. Poseidon thought it just as likely that Zeus' child—Tria, or whatever in Hades her name was—could be the child of prophesy. On the same note, it could just as likely be Hades' two children who were safely hidden away from Zeus at the moment.

All the same, Percy's temper tantrums were rare. When they happened they were a sight to behold, for his temper rivaled his father's and Triton's both, but all in all Percy was a very calm and laid back child. He dearly loved playing as well, especially in the game room that Poseidon had been working on for a long time.

He was also, understandably, a bit of a handful.

Percy had a knack for bringing out emotions in Poseidon that he worked hard to bury. No matter his mood, his son could make him unbelievably furious one second and have him clutching his stomach from laughter the next.

There was one emotion that he disliked Percy inspiring, and though it happened rarely, it was never pretty.

Terror.

Sheer and utter terror.

Poseidon had just finished a political audience with the dolphins and the seals and was exiting the throne room when he noticed Triton talking to two of his friends.

"Triton," he called, and his son half-turned to look at him. "Where is Percy?"

Triton frowned. "Percy?" he repeated. "He is right — "

He looked down and found that, in fact, his baby brother was _not _where he had been only moments ago. With a sinking feeling, he jerked his gaze up to meet his father's.

Poseidon was running before he was conscious of his actions. "Percy!" he shouted as he rounded a turn, searching frantically and aware of Triton going in the opposite direction to do the same. "Percy?" he called again, louder this time and with more desperation.

Thoughts were tumbling through his head at a rapid pace. _What if my enemies got him? What if he is hurt? What if he was kidnapped? What if Zeus came down in secret and discovered him here? What if he is dead?_

A moment later he found his son, but the terror did not abate. For the first time in his existence, he wondered if this was what the modern phrase "scared to death" was supposed to symbolize.

Percy was standing on chubby toddler legs in front of the hearth, tiny hands clutching at the flagstones as he grinned toothily up at Hestia.

Poseidon swallowed hard and watched as the goddess laughed and reached down to pick him up and settle him in her lap. Triton skidded to a halt behind him, looking stricken with terror at the sight before him.

"I wearning wetters," Percy was telling her cheerfully, pointing to the alphabet book he had taken to carrying around with him everywhere. It had been a gift from Amphitrite on his third birthday, which had passed over the summer.

Carthos was in the middle of teaching him the English alphabet, and so far, the three-year-old knew most of his letters. Stringing them together was out of the question, and he often drew them backwards, but he _did_ know them. Percy had absolutely no trouble at all with the Greek alphabet, in fact, Carthos had needed to teach him very little; but then again Greek was hard-wired into all demigods so it was not too surprising.

"Learning letters," Hestia gently corrected, reaching down to trace over the colorful alphabet pictures with her nimble fingers. "Does your daddy read to you, little prince?"

Percy smiled up at her and said, "Ebry day."

Poseidon turned and motioned for Triton to leave. His son obeyed, albeit reluctantly, and vanished from sight.

"Do you love your father very much?" Hestia asked Percy.

Dark tendrils of hair bounced on Percy's head when he nodded earnestly. "Papa," he said simply and with a huge grin, finally spotting him just a few feet away. He wiggled forcefully until Hestia let him go and he slid off her lap to race over to him.

Poseidon automatically reached down and swung his boy up into his arms with a warm smile, nuzzling his small cheek. "Percy, what are the rules about running off?" he chastised, raising one dark eyebrow.

Lips immediately shifting into a pout, Percy looked down at his shoulder and traced his index finger over the patterns of Poseidon's Hawaiian shirt. "Not s'pos' to," he mumbled, squirming a little under the force of his father's gaze.

Sighing, Poseidon let it go for now and settled his gaze instead on his sister. "Hestia," he greeted her solemnly and without a smidge of wariness. She had seen Percy, she knew who he was—she could easily tell Zeus the truth.

"Your son is wonderful," Hestia said, taking him by surprise. She smoothed her hands over her thighs and tilted her head to one side to study the resemblance between father and son. "He looks just like you, brother. He is special, I can feel it."

Unsure what to say to that, Poseidon just nodded and kept Percy in one arm. The toddler was picking up on his father's solemn mood and had become solemn himself, curious sea green eyes flicking back and forth between the two immortals.

Hestia gently patted the space beside her, and before he could talk himself out of it, Poseidon strode over and sat down, settling Percy instead into his lap.

"Your son was the first demigod to see me—_truly _see me—in many long years, brother."

Poseidon grunted, not sure what else to do.

"There is much kindness in him," she continued dreamily, staring into the flickering hearth. "He will be a good man, brother, and a good son to you." Turning her eyes back to him, she studied him silently for a long moment. "Though, I suspect, a bit of a maverick like yourself. Somehow, I do not picture him following orders or respecting Gods just because he is told to."

Poseidon chuckled at that and winked at her.

"You adore him. Not for a lot time have I seen you this relaxed."

"Relaxed?" he repeated with a hint of mirth, arching one black eyebrow as he settled his squirming son on the ground and watched him hurry over to his block set and begin to build. "You _are _aware of the bashing the surface world took as a result of my temper, are you not?"

Hestia surprised him by laughing, truly laughing, as he had not seen her do in many an age. "I suppose from that perspective, you are not exactly relaxed, brother," she agreed. "Percy is good for you, for all of you. I can see the life he has breathed back into this place."

"Subtle," he remarked dryly.

She smiled.

"Hestia, about Percy—"

"Your secret is safe with me," Hestia assured him calmly, placing a hand on his arm. "Remember, Poseidon, I am the last Olympian. I am home and hearth. I will not betray you."

Poseidon placed his hand over hers and squeezed gently. "Thank you," he murmured, and with a soft smile Hestia faded away, vanishing back into the flames.

He released a breath he hadn't noticed he was holding and dropped his face into his hands.

Perseus Jackson would be the death of him.

/

Poseidon had finished up with the latest disaster—honestly, he had just fixed all of this yesterday, could it _not _stay fixed for one bloody day?—and had decided to peek in on Percy's schooling sessions.

Carthos assured him that Percy, who was now four, was an extremely bright child. Like all demigods, he suffered from what the modern world referred to as ADHD. In the old times, it had simply referred to hypersensitivity to one's surroundings and the corresponding skills in battle. He also suffered from something called "Dyslexia" every time he was forced to read or write something in English.

According to Carthos, this happened because Percy's brain was hard-wired for Greek and had trouble translating all other languages.

Despite this, Percy had mastered the alphabet long ago and had since moved on to reading full sentences and then small paragraphs.

He strolled through the palace at a leisurely pace, taking time to greet his subjects and enjoy the view of the sea around him. Before he knew it, he was standing outside the school room, where Percy was in the middle of his daily lessons.

Poseidon hid himself in a shadow and watched with fond curiosity to see what his son would be like in the classroom. Outside the classroom he liked to ask a million questions and was constantly begging for stories, especially before bedtime. When he had turned four, Amphitrite had decided he needed to start his formal education and had permanently invited Carthos to teach their son.

Percy needed an education, of course, otherwise he would stand out amongst his fellow demigods, but he assumed this was not the same kind of education that Percy would have received on the surface world.

That was due mostly to the fact that in the sea he was safe, where monsters wouldn't dare touch him.

Not that they would even get close to them before he sent a Cyclops army or sea monster to destroy them, of course, if he did not blast them with his trident first.

Carthos was leaning over his desk watching him write. "Good, little prince," he praised with a smile and a fond ruffling of Percy's hair.

Percy grinned up at him as Carthos moved back to some modern invention called a "white board" and started writing up on the board.

"I thought we could take a break from your letters and talk about history today," Carthos said, smiling at Percy's excited whoop. "Where would you like to start?"

"The beginning," said Percy with a cheeky grin. "Papa tells me all the time that the only reason his brovers and sisters escaped the yucky tummy of their evil father was cuz Zeus was so ugly the bad man thought he was a rock and ate everyone else but him."

Carthos snorted and quickly turned away to hide his expression. Poseidon bit back his own chuckle at the four-year-old's description of the events. "That is one way of putting it, I suppose," he said in a deadpan voice to hide his amusement. "Kronos was the leader of the Titans, you see."

"The Titans who ruled afore Zeus and Papa and Uncle Hades?"

"Before," the merman corrected. "The Titans ruled _before _the Olympians."

"Before," Percy repeated slowly, to test the word on his tongue. "He ruled _before _the Ol-ymp-i-ans," he repeated, drawing the word out slowly like Carthos had taught him so that he would say it right.

"Correct," Carthos said, drawing a quick sketch of the history on the board. "Zeus grew up outside of Kronos' tummy, on an island called Crete. He got a potion and tricked Kronos into drinking it, and then Kronos regurgitated all of Zeus' brothers and sisters."

Percy was listening with rapt attention. "What's _re-gur-gidaded_?" he wondered, frowning as he struggled over the unfamiliar word.

"Regurgitated." Carthos smiled and shook his head. "It means he made Kronos be sick and throw them all up."

"Like when I got sick and mama made me eat soup and I made a mess on the cook and the cook was angry but all papa could do was laugh at the face she was making so then mama got mad at him and papa had to sleep in the room next to mine?"

"Like that," Carthos agreed, struggling to keep up with the speed of the child's run-on sentence.

Percy wrinkled his little nose. "Eew," he commented with scorn only a four-year-old could manage and still be adorable.

"Indeed."

"What happened then, Carthos?"

"A war, little prince. For ten long years the Titans and the Olympians battled for control, until Zeus managed to get the Cyclopes and the Giants on his side. The Cyclopes gave him his master bolt, which lets him control lightning, and gave to your father his trident and to Hades his Helm of Darkness. The Olympians won and cast the Titans into Tartarus as punishment."

"Like when I get put on timeout?"

"Worse than that, little prince. They were imprisoned for eternity."

Percy's eyes widened. "Time out for an _eternity_?" he gasped. He frowned suddenly. "What's _eternity_?"

Carthos grinned and ruffled his hair. "A very long time," he explained.

"What then?" Percy asked eagerly, eyes shining.

"Well, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades became what we call the Big Three—the most powerful of the Olympians. Zeus took command of the sky, your father command of the sea, and Hades command of the underworld and the dead."

"How come Hades had to rule the dead? Could he have ruled the sky?"

"The Olympians voted for Zeus to be their king because he saved them from Kronos," Carthos explained. "But yes, technically, Hades could have ruled the sky. He does not. Your uncle Hades is tasked with the Underworld and bringing the souls to their proper resting places, as well as keeping a close eye on Tartarus."

"Poor Uncle Hades," sighed Percy. "What happened to the rest of the bad guys?"

"Well, the commander of the Titan army was a being called Atlas. As punishment for betraying the gods, he was tasked with the job of holding up the sky."

"_The whole sky_?"

"The whole sky," Carthos promised.

"By himself!?"

Carthos nodded.

Percy considered this. "He was a meanie-butt for eating papa, so he dederved it," he decided.

"He _deserved _it," Carthos corrected mildly.

"De-ser-ved it," Percy repeated obediently. "Carthos, how come so many words are so hard to say?" he whined.

"It will get easier," the merman promised, before steering the boy back towards learning.

Smiling softly, Poseidon melted away back to his duties, but his candid observation of his son had brightened his spirits, especially his description of one of the most evil creatures in existence, and his four-year-old son made him sound ridiculous and hardly scary at all.

_Meanie-butt_, indeed, if only for the fact Kronos had swallowed him whole.

Poseidon was touched by his loyalty.

/

The bright summer sun shone through the surface of the sea, casting shimmering shadows on Atlantis. Her people moved about on their daily activities with vigor, for today was the eve of the summer solstice and a very busy day for her people. This was true even in the palace, where Amphitrite was trying to get her energetic four-year-old son to be quiet and sit still long enough to eat his breakfast.

"Is papa back yet?" Percy wondered, bouncing up and down in his seat.

"No," said Amphitrite with a fond smile. "Eat your breakfast, Percy. Your father will be home as soon as he is done meeting with the mermen."

"How come I cannot go, mother?" he wondered curiously, watching as she spooned oatmeal into his bowl and added liberal sprinkles of sugar and a few raisins.

"Undersea politics, little one. They are . . . well . . ."

"Compicated?" Percy offered helpfully, smiling up at her sweetly. "Triton says so."

"Complicated," she corrected with a soft laugh, shucking him gently under the chin. "Eat your breakfast, now. No training until you do."

The half-hearted threat was enough to get the energetic boy to wolf his breakfast down like it was his last meal. As soon as he was done, he jumped down from his chair and threw his arms around her waist, burying his face in her stomach.

Amphitrite smiled and bent down to kiss the top of his head, rubbing her hands up his back. He was growing up so fast; one day he would be too big to hug her and Poseidon like this, according to the other mothers in Atlantis. She wasn't so sure. It was in Percy's nature to be sweet and loving, if stubborn and a bit obtuse at times. Hopefully Percy would never tire of giving them hugs. She could tell how much it meant to Poseidon every time his son's face lit up when he entered a room, every time he forgot propriety and raced forward to throw his arms around his neck while cheering "PAPA!" at the top of his lungs.

"I love you, mama," he said, tipping his head back to favor her with a sweet smile.

"I love you too, little prince," she whispered, pressing a tender kiss to his brow. "Run along, now. You would hate to be late for sword practice."

Percy frowned. "But Triton's not here," he said with a hint of a whine in his tone.

"I am sure you can find someone else to spar with you," Amphitrite promised, ruffling his hair. "I will send a dolphin to find you when your father gets home."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

A huge grin spread across his little face. "Okay," he chirped cheerfully. He gave her one last hug before he headed from the dining room.

Percy raced down the hallway, grinning at merpeople and sea animals alike as he hurried to the training ring. He burst outside and skipped his way down the path. Sometimes he swam but most of the time he liked to _run_ and jump over the rocks in his path and most of the time his friend Rocco the Hippocampi would join him, racing him across the sea floor.

"Good morning, little prince," Delphin greeted him with a cheerful chirp.

"Good morning, Delphin!" Percy responded to the dolphin with a bright grin. "Your peoples, are they okay?"

"My people are quite well, thank you," the dolphin responded with a good deal of amusement at the improper grammar. "You had best run along, little prince, Carthos is awaiting you."

Wasting no time, Percy waved before racing the rest of the way to the sword training area. Carthos was already in the center of the arena testing the weight of a blade in his hand. He had greenish skin and teeth that reminded Percy of the great white sharks who liked to tell him about their journeys across the oceans. His yellow eyes shone with amusement and warmth when he turned and noticed his presence.

"Good morning, Carthos," Percy greeted his teacher respectfully and with a bow.

"Good morning to you as well, young prince," Carthos greeted him, grinning down at the boy with no small amount of affection. At first he had been honored to take the position of teaching Poseidon's half-blood child, though he had not wanted to and had accepted out of politeness only. In truth, he had not wanted to teach the young prince at all. As the boy grew, however, and it became apparent how bright he was, it almost seemed a shame that they would waste him on Camp Half-Blood.

"Can I use swords today?" Percy asked, speaking slowly and making an effort to get his pronunciations right.

"May I," the merman corrected gently.

"_May _I use swords today?" Percy repeated impishly.

Carthos' lips twitched with the effort of withholding his smile. "If you wish, you may. Triton is not here to spar with you, however."

That was not an issue. Percy found a partner, a young merboy near his age, and headed over to him.

"Hello," he greeted the merboy politely. "Would you like to practice swords with me?"

The boy looked at him critically. "Why do you look so funny?" he asked.

"I do not look funny!" Percy protested with a sniff of indignation. "I always look like this."

"But you are so… white. And small. And you have weird legs instead of a tail." The boy wiggled his own tail in demonstration.

Percy narrowed his eyes. "I look like my mama and my papa and my brother Triton," he informed the other boy firmly.

The boy's eyes widened. "_You _are Prince Perseus, son of Poseidon?"

"Percy," he corrected with a grimace. "I _hate _being called Perseus."

"Percy," the boy amended with a smile, holding out a tentative hand. "My name is Bill Longfin, son of Naphos of the Northern Sea."

Staring down at the outstretched hand, Percy raised an eyebrow and looked shockingly like his father. "What am I supposed to do?" he wondered curiously, holding his own hand out to copy the young merman.

"You grasp it, like this," Bill responded, reaching out to grasp Percy's forearm and give a gentle squeeze. Percy copied him with a bit of confusion, and released Bill's arm when the other boy let go of his. "It is a way of saying hello," the young merman explained patiently and with a grin.

"Oh," Percy responded with a shrug. "I mostly just see Carthos and mama and papa an' Triton, o'course, and they all just hug me. Well, mama and papa and Triton hug me. Carthos just ruffles my hair and sometimes pokes my tummy cuz I am ticklish. I see Delphin a lot too, but he has no arms just fins and a tail and he is fun to talk to and all, but he always calls me Prince or Percy or little prince or sometimes if I am in trouble, he even calls me _Prince Perseus_, which I always respond to, cuz I know I am in trouble when he calls me that because he knowsI hate being called that. Some people bow, too, but I don' really like it, I mean it is okay I guess, but sometimes it can get strange when I am standing up at the thrones with mama and papa and Triton and everyone bows but we have to just stand there, and papa says I will understand why they do that when I am older, 'cept I am almost five summers now and I still don' get it."

Bill blinked. "Do you always talk this much?" he wondered in typical seven-year-old intellect.

Percy nodded. "Papa says it is cuz I have ADHD, but I dunno what it stands for, I just know that when I eat sugar mama gets really angry at me acuz I get even more hyper than usual."

"My father always yells at me when I am in trouble," said Bill with a grin that flashed all of his shark teeth. "He says I must grow up to be big and strong and brave, and he will send me to Camp Fish-Blood so that I can become a mighty warrior and bring honor to my family."

"That does not sound very fun," Percy observed, tilting his head to one side. "How come you have to be a warrior? Can you be a knitter like Aphros? He made me really warm socks but the socks are too small now."

"I am going to be a warrior," Bill insisted.

Shrugging, Percy hefted his practice sword. "Wanna spar?"

With a grin, Bill responded, "Any day, son of Poseidon!"

/

It was the day before the summer solstice once again. The next day would mark the four-year anniversary of his fight with Zeus. Since then, he and his brother had talked only at the solstices. Poseidon had suddenly understood why Hades spent so much time in the Underworld — it was a far better alternative than having to look good-for-nothing-Air-for-Brains-with-a-lightning-rod-up-his-arse in the face for an extended period of time. Whenever he was in Zeus' vicinity, he had a strong and unexplainable urge to blast him with water from the Arctic Ocean and feed him to a giant squid.

Poseidon cursed his wandering thoughts and re-focused his attention on the throne room. Today, he and Amphitrite held open court for their subjects to visit and seek their council. It also served to mark the beginning of the solstice celebration.

He was listening to two mermen arguing about differing views on who owned which portion of their properties when his attention was abruptly shifted to a small form darting towards him out of his peripheral vision.

Given his inability to focus his attention for long periods of time, Percy had quickly tired of having to sit in the chair beside Triton and listen to people talk. Instead, he sought out his favorite person and moved towards him with a purpose, not noticing that the entire court had silenced to see what would happen. Many of those present had heard of the young prince, but had yet to see him in person.

Unabashed, Percy ran two steps and pushed off the tiles, arms outstretched. In what the entire court could see was a practiced motion, Poseidon caught him, swung him up, and gently lowered him to his lap, one hand returning to rest on his trident as the other rested protectively on his son's back.

"Hi, Papa," he said cheerfully, slipping his arm under Poseidon's and curling it around his back.

Poseidon's lips twitched into a smile as he returned the greeting.

Silence reigned.

"Continue," he suggested to his subjects, raising an eyebrow as if questioning why they had fallen silent. The two immediately began to argue once more and he resisted the urge to pinch his nose between his thumb and forefinger.

"Papa?" Percy whispered, staring at the two arguing mermen with wide eyes.

"What is it, little one?" Poseidon wondered, directing the majority of his attention down to his child. Concern filled him as he noticed how worried Percy was, how he instinctively pressed himself against his chest, his arm tightening around his waist and hand fisting in the fabric of his shirt.

The court had mostly fallen silent, and as such when Percy spoke, all present heard him.

"How come they don't just _share_, Papa?"

Triton grinned and quickly hid it behind his hand, watching as the two mermen — who had been arguing about this for over three decades now — stared at the little prince in shock. Out of the corner of his eye he watched his mother duck her head to hide her own smile and as several members of the court hid their amusement in the same fashion.

"Papa?" Percy pressed, looking between him and the mermen. "Can they share?"

"They can share, yes," he assured his son in an effort to soothe the mounting worry in his voice. The twitch at the corner of his lips gave away his amusement.

"So how come they are not sharing?" Percy pressed, squirming a little as he picked up on the tension in the room. "Papa, did I say something wrong? Am I in trouble?"

Poseidon rubbed a hand gently up and down his back. "You are not in trouble," he promised, dropping a kiss to the top of his head and offering a tender smile to soothe his son's uneasiness.

The mermen settled their dispute — by Hades, _finally_, he had grown tired of their bickering — and offered Percy words of praise for his young mind, but the young prince was already fast asleep in his lap with his face nuzzled into the Hawaiian print shirt.

Unsurprisingly, the two mermen did not take offense and quietly left the room with quiet apologies and with civil conversation between them for the first time in thirty years

Dropping another kiss to the crown of Percy's head, Poseidon motioned for the next subject to come forward and present their issue.

/

**E/N**: So, that was Percy from ages 3-4. He is almost five at the end of this.

Pardon any spelling/grammar mistakes, I decided to crank this out before bed. Feel free to point them out if you find any this one is longer than usual so it won't surprise or offend me at all.

Also, to those of you who do not work with small children/are not familiar with small children: SMALL CHILDREN ARE THE MASTERS OF RUN-ON SENTENCES. As a preschool teacher, I can attest to that. They also tend to stutter... a lot. Percy's dialogue is based off of children I work with as well as my young cousins, the youngest of whom just turned three.

**REVIEWS DIRECTLY CORRELATE TO SPEED OF UPDATES, FRIENDS!  
:D**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **Sorry this took so long, guys. Been busy with college. Hope you like it, I'm a little bit nervous about how this will be received…

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing.

/

**Chapter Nine  
**Innocence

Poseidon ran a weary hand down his face and slumped in his throne, dreading the second round of subjects who would soon be allowed entrance to the room to grovel and squabble about generally tedious things and in doing so give him a headache.

Some days, he truly loathed being a king.

The amount of work involved bordered a thin line between sheer annoyance and insanity.

"My lord?"

Jerking abruptly from his thoughts, Poseidon turned his head to find Amphitrite watching him with a raised eyebrow.

Unbeknownst to him, he had been zoning out while his wife and son were talking to him. The two were giving him concerned looks, Triton with his eyebrow raised as if he had been trying to hail his attention for a generous length of time.

"You were not with us, my lord," Amphitrite sniffed, shifting in her throne and smoothing her dress over her thighs.

"I was not," he agreed, rubbing his eyes. "I grow tired of this useless babble." Yawning hugely, he stretched his arms over his head and glanced around. "Where is Percy?"

"I put him to bed about an hour ago," Triton supplied from his other side, where he was sprawled with one leg thrown over the arm of his throne. "He fell asleep on my lap again. Honestly, mother, why do you insist he sit through these things? He loses interest in moments and proceeds to squirm like a sea cucumber before he falls asleep and snores like a whale shark."

"It never fails to put him straight to sleep," Amphitrite defended herself.

Poseidon had to grin at the truth in that statement, but before he could respond the throne room doors swung open again and their subjects filed back in for round two of this nonsense.

Roughly an hour later, someone was droning on about undersea politics and he completely zoned out, looking right at the man but finding instead that his memories took him back to when Percy was still a toddler…

.

"_Percy?" he called as he entered his and Amphitrite's bedroom. "Where are you, you little sneak, you have yet to finish your breakfast."_

_There was no reply, but from the weapons room he thought he heard a noise. Curious now, he headed across the hall and pushed the already ajar door all the way open._

_Percy was standing in the middle of the room facing him, balanced on his little legs, and with Riptide grasped in his small little hands. His expression was one of awe, staring reverently at the deadly weapon in his hands._

"_Percy," he sighed as he entered the room, making his almost-four-year-old son jump and nearly drop the weapon. He smoothly took it from his son's grasp and crouched in front of him, studying his now-bashful expression. "Do you like this sword?" he asked, holding it between them._

_With a furrowed brow, Percy darted a glance between the blade and his face before slowly nodding, reaching out to carefully brush his fingers over the hilt._

"_If you like it, then you may have it," Poseidon promised, "when you are ready to wield it, it is yours."_

"_Sword taning?" Percy guessed, smiling up at him cheekily._

_Chuckling, Poseidon re-capped Riptide and slipped it into his pocket, scooping his son up with one arm. "I suppose you are ready to start learning, if you were able to hold that heavy sword up all by yourself," he agreed with a great deal of amusement._

"_Not heavy, papa!" Percy exclaimed, thrusting his hands upwards. "I strong!"_

"_I know you are strong, little one, but strength with no guidance is dangerous," he explained as he set a course back to the dining room. "I will send for Carthos, and you will begin your training in the morning. How does that sound, my little Achilles?" He rubbed noses with his son affectionately, who giggled and planted a kiss on his cheek._

"_Good," Percy said with a nod to emphasize his feelings. "I train wif Triton, too?"_

"_I am sure Triton would be more than happy to help you, if only to keep you out of trouble," Poseidon snorted._

_The rest of their walk was spent in contemplative silence, as Poseidon wondered how to best summon the merman and Percy played with a thread in his Hawaiian-themed button-up shirt._

"_Lub you, papa," Percy said solemnly just before they entered the room._

"_Love you too, little one," he returned, sweeping his hair from his forehead with his free hand and planting his own kiss on his son's brow._

_The next morning, Carthos arrived as he had promised to find an energetic little boy waiting on the training grounds under the watchful eye of Poseidon himself. Deciding not to let it intimidate him, he greeted the king properly before introducing himself to the young prince._

"_I hear you wish to begin your training, little one," Carthos said by way of greeting, shrugging his pack off of his shoulders and watching Percy's firm nod. Good, the boy was not shy; he could work with that._

"_Swords?" asked Percy hopefully, peering at the elegant weapons resting in a barrel on the training grounds. Mermen were already sparring, despite the early hour, though in a more distracted fashion than usual. It was not every day that Poseidon decided to stop by, and many a curious gaze rested on the small boy beside him who hardly came above his knee and could be a younger copy of himself._

_Carthos smiled at the boy and hefted a small wooden practice sword, improperly weighted. He handed it to Percy, who grasped it instinctively and immediately frowned, giving it an experimental swing that was surprisingly smooth, given he had never used one before._

_Percy shook his head and swung it again, his brow furrowing as he stared down at the blade in his hand as if it were a sea snake trying to bite him._

"_Something wrong?" Carthos pressed, raising an eyebrow._

"_Wrong," the young boy said, giving it another swing and shaking his head before he even finished._

"_It feels wrong?"_

_Nodding, Percy held the wooden sword out to him, and Carthos took it. He was surprised. Most young boys at Camp Fish-Blood struggled to get comfortable with the proper weight of a sword; it had taken this young demigod mere seconds. Perhaps there was more to this child than he had thought._

_Rubbing his chin, Carthos turned and pulled free the wooden practice sword that was made for a child of Percy's height and strength, and weighted for training. He held it out to Percy, who grasped it again and took a step back, studying it in his hand for a moment with a peaceful look on his face. He swung it, and it sliced through the water like butter._

"_How about that one?" Carthos questioned him, watching the smoothness of the boy's movement._

"_Right," Percy said with a nod, swinging it again. "It feels right."_

"_I am impressed," he admitted, ruffling the boy's hair. "You are doing well already. Come, we will work on your form. Lord Poseidon, do you wish to stay?"_

_Startled from his observations, Poseidon shook his head, dropped a kiss to the top of his son's head, and strode back to the palace knowing Percy was in capable hands._

_._

"My lord?"

Poseidon blinked and looked at his subject, who was watching him expectantly along with the rest of the court. He was opening his mouth to request that he repeat himself, when Amphitrite took mercy on him and said, "That sounds very admirable, Master Pashek. We will see that you get what materials you need in order to train youngsters before they are required to attend Camp Fish-Blood."

With a smile, the merman bowed and moved aside for the next subject.

It continued on like that for hours, until it was time to prepare for the solstice. Poseidon was standing from his throne, stretching his long-time-unmoving muscles, when Percy darted into the room in his plain blue T-shirt and Aquaman pajama pants, hair tousled from sleep.

"Good morning, Percy," Poseidon greeted him with a warm smile. "You are up far earlier than usual today." Percy made his way over and stuck his arms in the air, and, unable to resist, he picked his boy up and hugged him.

"Wanted to say bye," Percy mumbled sleepily, rubbing his eyes with one hand and wrapping his other arm around Poseidon's neck. "You gotta go to Olympus?"

"For the day, yes," he responded, smiling at people he passed. "I will be back as soon as I am able."

"Papa, you just had a sowsice," Percy whined, blinking up at him with pleading eyes.

"_Solstice_, Percy. And yes, I did, six months ago. They come every six months. Funny how that works, is it not?" He poked Percy in the stomach. "I know you have learned as much from Carthos."

Sticking his lip out in a pout, Percy wiggled a little and tried not to laugh. "Why two? Why not one?"

"We need two, according to Zeus," Poseidon teased with an upward quirk of his lips. "This is the _winter _solstice, son. The last was the summer solstice, shortly before your fifth birthday."

Percy made a face but did not respond, opting instead to observe the people and animals swimming by all around them.

"Can Uncle Hades go to this one?" he wondered after a moment of silence.

"Hades is permitted entry to the winter solstice, yes," he responded with a smile. "You _have_ been paying attention to Carthos."

With a smile, Percy ducked his head. "He gets funny when he is mad," he snickered. "I only _pretend _not to listen to him sometimes, Papa."

Poseidon snorted and shook his head, tweaking Percy's nose. "You are my son," he allowed. "I used to do the same. Do _try _not to upset him too much though, little one."

"Carth likes me," Percy giggled. "He wouldna leave."

"He might, if you push him too far," Poseidon jokingly warned, making them both burst into laughter. Carthos, abandon the palace and Miri's cooking? Not in a million years.

He took a sharp left into the throne room, wondering if Hades would be true to his word today. Poseidon had offered for him to visit his realm, seeing as he had so rudely burst into his brother's five years ago. Hades never had been one to turn down a challenge, and Poseidon had all but dared him to come visit and leave the musky Underworld for a few moments. Zeus would not notice on a solstice day, he would be too busy keeping Apollo from setting everything on fire.

"You really should not pester him, son," he admonished.

Percy looked scandalized and spluttered, "B—But Papa. . . it's _fun_!"

"Clearly, this one belongs to you," a familiar mocking voice said from his left.

Poseidon turned just as Percy whipped his head around, eyes widening as he studied the pale-skinned, dark-eyed man. He was just as tall as his Papa, with chin-length black hair, a sneer. He was dressed in plain black jeans, black shoes, and a black T-shirt.

Poseidon was glad he had opted to _not _wear the soul-threaded robes around his five-year-old son.

"So, you _did_ decide to show up," he said dryly, shifting Percy up into the crook of his arm a little higher. The boy's arm was nearly choking him, silently studying the man in front of them.

"Do not play games with me, brother," Hades said, rolling his eyes. "You knew I was here the moment I appeared in the ocean, otherwise I would be drowning right now. This place is wet and cold, by the way. How do you _stand _it down here?" He looked around as he finished speaking, studying the moving mosaic on the floor. In truth, he was fascinated; Poseidon had never actually invited him down here before and while it was hardly his cup of tea, he was amazed that the layer around his skin remained dry and that he could breathe just as easily as he could in the Underworld.

Raising a mocking eyebrow, Poseidon gave Hades his best "_no, really" _expression.

Hades snorted as his lips curved into a half-smile-but-mostly-grimace he tried in vain to smother. His sharp eyes fixed on Percy. "So, this is the little brat who caused the surface so much grief?" he wondered, ignoring Poseidon's sharp glare over his choice of words.

Percy looked between Poseidon and Hades, meeting the God of the Underworld's gaze unflinchingly as he wondered, "Are you my Uncle Hades?"

Suddenly taken aback, Hades peered at the pint-sized version of Poseidon. "Uncle Ha—what?" he spluttered, unsure how to react.

"Uncle Hades," he repeated patiently, as if talking to a child. Hades could only stare at the boy in shock; _no _child had ever spoken to him in such a way. "You look like the paintings of him, 'cept most people say you are evil. Papa says that you just act like that cuz you hang out wif dead people all the time."

With a blink, Hades straightened his shoulders and tilted his head to the side to study his nephew. He flicked his gaze to Poseidon, who was whistling and studying the mosaic in the corner with an innocent expression. Returning his gaze to the boy, he found him looking at him unflinchingly and with a great deal of curiosity.

"You are not afraid of me, are you?" he guessed dryly, raising an eyebrow.

Percy blinked in return as Poseidon settled him on the ground and watched the scene unfolding with great amusement.

"No," he said in a confused tone.

Hades stifled laughter at that and met Poseidon's eyes. "I cannot _wait _for him to meet Zeus," he said. "Ozone Brain's expression will be _priceless_."

Poseidon grinned at that but continued to whistle, studiously ignoring the two.

"Are you?" Percy pressed, tugging on Hades' jeans.

"Am I what?" Hades snapped irritably, attempting to glare the boy down. Either he was blind, or he had inherited Poseidon's personality _and _face expressions, because the child hardly seemed worried at all.

"My uncle," Percy said impatiently, punctuating with another tug.

"We share no blood."

"But you _are _Hades?"

"What makes you think I am Hades, squirt?"

"You are wearing all black," Percy pointed out, still looking up at him. "So? Are you?"

Hades admitted defeat. He could kill the kid when he was older, but when he was that small and innocent looking the mere thought made him uneasy. At his current size and age, and with his dark hair, he looked startlingly similar to his own son, Nico. So much so, in fact, that he felt an unwanted tug at his normally-icy heart.

"I am Hades, yes," he sighed.

"Truly?" Percy gasped in wonder, mouth falling open as he stared up at him. A sudden grin came over his face as he threw his arms around Hades' legs, burying his face in his knees.

Jerking at the contact, Hades glared at Poseidon, but his brother had taken up a fascination with the ceiling now, apparently. Wonderful.

Children were not supposed to _like _him, it was absurd!

"I have never met any of the other gods before," Percy said excitedly, squeezing his uncle's thighs with surprising strength for one so small. "I always wanted to meet you."

Once again taken aback, Hades glanced down at the Mini-Barnacle Beard clinging to his legs. The child had his chin resting on his thigh and was peering up at him with excitement clear on his expression, his sea-green eyes sparkling. The blue of his T-shirt brought out the blue in his eyes, and for some reason the sight of his bare little feet poking out of bright blue cotton pants with cartoon sea animals on them and a man dressed in a rediculous orange-and-green outfit with a golden trident was extremely amusing. The boy's lips pulled up in a bright grin that showed a small gap between his front teeth

An answering smile tugged his lips upwards in reaction. Hades flinched inwardly when he realized that and quickly switched his expression back to a scowl, relieved when the boy finally took a step backwards and away from him.

To Hades' utter shock, the boy bowed respectfully and said, "It is an ho—hon—_honor_ to meet you, Uncle Hades," he said, struggling slightly over the word as his eyebrows puckered downward. "Mama says I should always bow, but Papa says that if I don' wanna bow to Zeus, I don' hafta."

It took all of Hades' willpower not to smile again. By Olympus, this child was going to be a breath of fresh air. He could already picture him, grown and powerful, calling Zeus on all of his nonsense and challenging the Gods at every turn.

_Finally_, a demigod with a backbone.

"What's your name, shrimp?" Hades asked curiously before he could stop himself and internally wincing once the words were out. Well, heck. He didn't _do _feelings, drat it all. Why had he even come? He should have suspected Poseidon would spring something like this on him.

"Percy Jackson," Percy responded immediately and with a cheeky grin. "Son of Poseidon, Prince of Atlantis."

Hades nodded and formally shook the little boy's hand — tiny and warm in his cool grasp — before studiously ignoring him and turning to Poseidon. "The solstice," he reminded his brother.

"Ah, yes," Poseidon agreed, summoning his trident and grasping it in a fist as he gazed upwards. "It is nearly time to leave. Percy, you behave for your mother while we are gone."

"Yes, Papa," said Percy solemnly, peering up at the two gods through his fringe of dark bangs.

Poseidon held his arms out for a hug that the boy raced into happily, planting an enthusiastic kiss on his cheek before he let go and dropped back to the ground.

Hades opened his mouth to say farewell, but before he could, the boy had launched himself at him as well. He caught him reflexively and stood there, shocked, as Percy hugged around his neck and kissed his cheek as well before dropping back to the ground.

"Bye, Uncle Hades," he said cheerfully and with a bright wave as the gods exchanged looks.

Poseidon stifled his laughter as he and a stunned Hades materialized from Atlantis and solidified on Olympus a few feet away from each other, outside the doors to the throne room where the rest of the gods were chatting while they waited for the solstice to begin.

"Bianca and Nico," said Hades suddenly, but softly enough that only Poseidon heard him.

Confused now, Poseidon turned to him with a questioning eyebrow.

"My children," he elaborated quietly. "Those are their names: Bianca and Nico."

Nodding, the sea god rotated his trident absently in his hand and watched as Apollo and Hermes snickered over some joke that had angered Athena.

"Your child is different, Poseidon," said Hades.

"I know," Poseidon answered before striding into the room and taking his seat with a flourish and his now-customary blast of the Arctic Ocean to Zeus's face that made Apollo cackle like a hyena.

Hades waited a moment before he entered as well. When the solstice began, he tuned out everything that was being said and instead remembered an innocent little boy and his open affection, something so few beings had ever shown him, cursing Poseidon to Tartarus for making him feel affection towards a small being yet again.

Through the entire solstice, none but Poseidon seemed to notice that he was quieter than usual, if only for the reason that he suddenly very much missed Bianca's sunny personality and Nico's shy smile.

Hades silently cursed Poseidon all the way back to the Underworld.

/

**E/N: **I had quite a few people request Hades, so, there he was. I hadn't originally planned on having him back for a few chapters yet, but then this popped into my head and refused to leave.

I always felt that Hades really cared for his children, the same as Poseidon does. He protected them from Zeus and then hid them in a place Lightning Arse would never find them, to keep them from his wrath. It also mentions in the books that Hades actually lets Nico live with him in the Underworld, which is something none of the rest of the Gods seem to do…

Hades is painted as evil a lot of the time, but I don't really think he is. Misunderstood, dark, morbid, yes; but not evil. A trickster, sure, but not evil. Not really. I honestly can't picture him hurting a child as young as Percy, for any reason. He waits until Thalia is a _lot _older before sending monsters after her, and obviously he wasn't trying _too _hard, because she survived. Mostly. And really, it's all Zeus' fault anyway…

Anywhoo, that's just my take on Hades. Hope you guys liked it!

**REVIEWS ARE LOVED!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **Sorry this took so long, you guys. College has been madness and we just had a new baby, a little boy named Drew, born into my family - so that was super exciting. Anyway here's the update and I hope you guys like it.

Also, _**please** _stop telling me to "make Percy grow up faster". Those of you who have asked know who you are.

Please, just trust me.

_I know what I am doing. _

I have a plan.

Enjoy. And thank you bunches to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, and followed this story. It would not be possible without your love and support. You guys rock!

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing.

/

**Chapter Ten  
**Rhode: Part I

Once his father and uncle had vanished from the room — Hades to the shadows and his father in a spray of bubbles — Percy sighed and hunched his shoulders, wishing his father did not have to go to Olympus.

Something sparkled out of the corner of his eye, from where Hades had been standing. With a frown, Percy bent and picked it up, to discover it was a pearl that lightly shimmered in the light from the torches. His young nimble fingers rubbed it absently, wondering what it was for. He glanced around to see if anyone had noticed, but the throne room was absent except for him.

With a small smile, Percy slipped the pearl into his pocket and looked up quickly as the throne room doors started to open, revealing Triton armored for sword practice. He jerked his hands out of his pocket and struggled to smooth his expression to blank; he knew Triton would take the pearl away from him, since Hades had dropped it.

Apparently, his innocent expression needed some work because Triton did not look convinced.

"Why do you look guilty?" was the first thing his older brother said, arching one dark eyebrow.

"I do not," Percy countered with a frown, balling up his blanket and tucking it under his arm. "Are you going to sword practice?"

"Of course," Triton responded indignantly. "Are you going to join me, or are you going to laze about the palace all day?"

"I do not _laze_!" Percy protested hotly, glaring up at his brother.

"Your footwork was dreadful yesterday." Triton danced away from Percy's swipe with a chuckle, grabbing his little brother in a headlock to ruffle his hair roughly. "So, little brother, are you going to practice with me today?"

Smoothing his hair flat, Percy kicked Triton's shin, but he was grinning. He loved training with his brother; he was the only one unafraid of sparking his temper and braving the chaos that tended to follow when he lost control of his powers over the ocean.

"Come on, midget, I cannot wait to kick your butt with the spear," Triton called over his shoulder, striding out of the throne room. He paused when he noticed Percy just standing there with a silly smile on his face. "Well, are you coming, or not?"

Percy shook himself from his thoughts and nodded enthusiastically. He ran back to his room to get dressed for it, tucking the pearl into a pair of his socks in the back of his dresser before grabbing his own specially made wooden practice sword and his staff. He ran from the room on the heels of his big brother and tucked himself under Triton's arm.

Triton smiled down at him and squeezed him into his side for a brief hug before challenging him to a race that sent the two of them charging out of the palace laughing like loons.

/

Percy was nearly seven, now, and growing bigger and stronger every day. It was early in the morning, and as usual the prince was on the training grounds. He had taken such a liking to swordsmanship, or any weapon really, that more often than not he had to be forced off the training fields and to his lessons and meals. This was a particular point of irritation with his tutor, Carthos, as this was one of those mornings. Considering his young scholar was as stubborn as his father was, forcing him to do anything often caused the resigned tutor a massive headache.

This particular morning was Percy's favorite, swords. The weighted wooden blade was in his hands, and with inhuman grace he was spinning and pivoting around the young merchild Bill, who was holding a shield and acting as the boy's sparring partner.

Even as he neared the pair, he could hear the dull _thunk_ each strike was making on the merboy's shield, and was impressed at how skilled the boy was becoming in such a short period of time. If Bill's reactions were anything to go by, Percy could hit _hard_, even at the age of six.

"Prince Perseus," Carthos said with a hint of irritation in his tone. "Come, it is time for your lessons, sire."

Making a face, Percy sighed and frowned at Bill. "Same time tomorrow?" he suggested hopefully.

Bill flashed a toothy smile and nodded, shaking out the arm that would no doubt bruise. The prince had been abusing his shield for the better part of the morning. "See you then," he promised, drifting off to find a different sparring partner.

"Come, Princeling," the merman insisted, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder to guide him back towards the palace and away from the blunt objects the child had been battering people with all morning.

"What are we learning about today, Carthos?" Percy mumbled sullenly, all but pouting as he trailed after the merman dragging his feet unenthusiastically.

"Courtesy," the merman replied stoically. "Your sister Rhode comes today for a visit with the court. King Poseidon expects you to be on your best and most polite behavior, which means _no _eating with your hands. The quicker we can get through this lesson, the quicker we can move on to more interesting topics such as the Trojan War."

"War?" Percy repeated, perking up instantly. Ever since he was young, battle had been a thing that fascinated him. He absolutely loved playing the board games with Triton and his father where they moved their forces across the board in a mock of war. According to Triton, their father had never been beaten, but he had nearly beaten Triton once and was determined to do it again.

"Yes, _war_. Now hurry up, we do not have all day to drag our feet across the ocean floor."

That was enough to get Percy moving a bit quicker towards his lesson room. He settled in obediently and scratched an itchy spot on his arm. He hadn't even bothered to remove his armor. The leather cuirass had been a present from his father for his last birthday, a part of a full set that included spaulders, leather bracers, leather greaves, a helmet, and a shield—a set that he would only be able to wear for a while, but the palace armorers had assured him they could enlarge it until he reached a certain height, and then they would have to re-do the set in bronze. The cuirass was engraved with his father's symbol of the trident, flanked on either side by a dolphin. His bracers held the same symbol, as did his shield. According to his father it was some of the best work ever turned out of the Cyclops forges, and was a set that Percy loved and was proud of.

The Cyclops blacksmiths were a little strange, but he had met a few of them and was not afraid of them. After all, they were his family. Most of them called him "little brother" or "little prince" and were always careful when they handed things to him.

For two hours, Percy practiced his letters in Greek and English, as well as going over and over proper etiquette as a member of the royal household. He swung his sandaled feet absently, his helmet on the ground beside him and shield leaning against his chair, tongue sticking out of the side of his mouth as he tried yet again to trace the English letter of E.

"You did it backwards yet again, young prince," Carthos said gently from where he watched his young scholar.

"I know," Percy grumbled, rubbing the failed letter out of the wax with a frustrated sigh. "How come I cannot get these letters the right way around, Carthos?"

"It will come with practice, youngling. English is something you will always struggle with because your brain is — "

"_Hardwired for Ancient Greek_, I know," Percy finished for him flatly without even looking up from his tablet, where he had _finally _succeeded in drawing a lowercase "e" the right way around. "There," he crowed in triumph, looking up at his teacher with a broad grin.

"Well done, prince," Carthos praised him with a small smile. "Now, for our next—" he started to say, before the door to the room opened to reveal Amphitrite, already dressed in her royal finery.

"I am very sorry to interrupt, Carthos, but Percy needs to get ready," said Amphitrite with a warm smile.

"Aww, but mother, we were just about to talk about the Trojan War," Percy whined, jutting his lip out. He _hated _feasts.

"And the Trojan War will still be in the history books for you to talk about _tomorrow_," the queen countered with a raised eyebrow and great deal of amusement in her eyes. "Come on now, my little warrior, pick up your shield and helmet."

With a resigned sigh, Percy did as he was told, scooping up is helmet in one hand and grabbing his shield with the other. He respectfully bowed farewell to his trainer and trudged over to where his mother was waiting.

"You know how important these feasts are, son," she rebuffed him, running her hands through his thick black hair as she lead him through the palace back to his rooms. "We must present a united front to our people, so that they trust in our rule."

"I know, mother, I just hate having to _sit _there for such a long time."

"Well, perhaps you can spend the time getting to know your sister Rhode and some of the Nereids."

Percy rolled his eyes. "Mother, all they talk about is _water_."

"Well, they _are _water nymphs," the queen said dryly, tweaking his nose as they halted outside their rooms. "Now hurry along, Triton agreed to help you get ready. And Perseus," she said in a warning tone, catching her son's attention. He _hated _being called that, and his parents only used it when they were serious or he was in trouble.

"Yes, mama?"

"_Do not be late_, or your father will be very angry."

He nodded and trudged into his room, where Triton was sitting on the end of his bed. Upon seeing his little brother still decked out in his armor, he grinned and hopped off the bed, shaking his head in amusement. "Percy, you do know you can take your amour off and it will not disappear, right?"

"I know, I just like wearing it," Percy defended himself with a cheeky grin, obediently holding his arms out at shoulder-height so that Triton could start unbuckling everything and helping him out of it.

"We need to hire you a servant," Triton grumbled as he lifted of the spaulders and set them on the table beside Percy's wardrobe.

"What do I need a servant for?"

"Putting all this armor on and taking it off takes a lot of time, time that _I _do not have to waste," Triton responded as he unbuckled the straps that held his cuirass on and removed it, too, leaving his brother in his blue tunic. From there it was relatively easy to get Percy in his feast finery. They would all prefer to wear jeans and a T-shirt, but were unfortunately required to wear nice tunics and soft cotton breeches tucked into polished boots.

"Can I just wear a T-shirt?" Percy whined, plucking unhappily at the fine fabric of his tunic. It was a deep blue lined in silver and embroidered with tiny tridents. "And why are there tridents all over everything?"

"The trident is father's symbol," Triton explained in the tone of someone who has explained the same thing a million times in vain. He tugged his own tunic over his head as he spoke, his voice slightly muffled as he added, "Trust me, as soon as this blasted banquet is over, I will race you to the T-shirts."

Percy giggled at the mental image and helped Triton tug his tunic straight. "We have to hurry or we will be late," he reminded his brother as they left his room and trotted for the banquet hall, nodding to Naiads and mermen as they passed them in the halls.

"Just smile," Triton reminded his little brother as he settled a hand on his shoulder and steered him into the side room where their parents were waiting. "Always with the dramatic entrances," he added tartly, rolling his eyes at his father.

"They do love fanfare," Poseidon responded, smiling at them both, bending down to kiss Percy on the top of his head. "I am glad you two arrived on time. Ready?"

"Can we not?" Triton protested one last time, even while he took his position beside his father. Percy did the same on the opposite side, standing close enough to Amphitrite to rub her arm.

Amphitrite ran a gentle hand through Percy's hair to soothe him. "Just remember to smile," she whispered as they followed Poseidon down the hall and the Naiads bowed respectfully as their king and his family passed by.

Percy's lips curled upwards obediently, even as he felt uneasy with so many eyes fixed on him all the time. He walked stiffly beside his mother, wanting nothing more than to go back to the training fields. His young mind zoned out through all the stuffy speeches and formal proceedings, until he could sit in his throne beside his mother and mentally go through footwork patterns to keep from going to sleep.

He came back to present time when an excited chatter picked up in the hall, and his eyes focused to see a woman who looked a lot like his mother gliding towards them. She had black hair like him and Triton, but had their mother's eyes.

"Father, Mother, Triton," the lady greeted them in a musical voice, bowing at them each in turn. Her eyes fell on him, and her eyebrows rose. "So, this is the little half-breed brat I have heard so much about?"

"Rhode," Poseidon greeted her tightly as Amphitrite greeted her with a simple, "Daughter."

"His name is Perseus," Triton said from his place beside their father as a hush fell in the hall. Most present were aware of the royal family's sensitivity towards the subject of the Demigod child.

Percy's brows furrowed. What was a "half-breed"?

/

**E/N**: This will be in three parts, y'all. This is the first part; I just wanted to get it published since you guys were frothing at the mouth for an update, lol.

**As always,  
Reviews are loved!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N**: Here's the next installment… thank you to those of you who were patient! Baby Drew is beautiful and healthy, and my family is COMPLETELY over the moon. Seriously on cloud nine, he is the cutest little thing I have ever seen and I've got a gazillion cousins so that is saying something. Thank you to everyone who offered congrats, I passed them along to Drew's parents and they were so touched!

And now, on to Percy!

**Disclaimer**: Rick Riordan's, not mine.

/

**Chapter Eleven  
**Rhode: Part II

Utter silence reigned in the hall of Poseidon's court. Half the eyes were fixed on Percy, the other half on the royal family, wondering how this mini-soap opera was going to unfold.

"Papa?" Percy whispered, his voice like a gunshot in the sudden silence had come over the speakers. His tone was worried as he looked between his father's furious expression and the cold indifference on Rhode's.

"Papa?" he repeated when Poseidon did not answer him. "Papa, what is a _half-breed_?"

"It does not matter, Percy," Triton said, getting to his feet to glare down his nose at his sister. "By the Gods, Rhode, not another word. Now is hardly the time for such a discussion."

"What needs discussing?" Rhode sneered, her cold eyes fixing again on Percy. It angered her when Triton took a step forward and moved slightly over so that he partially blocked the bastard from her view. "I cannot believe that you of all people, mother, are allowing a half-breed _bastard_ to sit on a throne of Atlantis!"

"Rhode," Poseidon thundered, lunging to his feet. "That is enough out of you. Be silent."

"What's a _bastard_?" Percy whispered.

"Out," Poseidon thundered at the court, who hastened to obey him. The doors swung shut a moment later, sealing the royal family into the room. He swung his furious sea green eyes to his daughter and said, "One more word, Rhode —_one_— and you will regret it severely."

The threat was enough to get Rhode to shut her mouth and glare between her parents.

"Triton," Amphitrite said calmly, "will you please take your brother and get him ready for bed?"

"But mama!" Percy protested in dismay, looking out the windows, "my bed time is not for another hour at least!"

His protests were cut off when Triton picked him up under the arms and lifted him off the platform, keeping one hand on Percy's shoulder as he steered his brother from the room. They were halfway to their rooms when the little boy broke the silence.

"Triton, what's a bastard?" he whispered fearfully, stepping closer so that his side brushed against Triton's as they walked.

"It does not matter, Percy," Triton told him quietly as they reached his room. "Rhode is a cruel and self-centered sea cow, and everyone knows it. Do not listen to what she says. Her opinion does not matter. Mother and father love you, and I love you, and that is all that matters."

"You love me?" repeated Percy in an awed whisper, ducking his head shyly and braving a glance at his older brother's brooding expression as Triton hauled the doors to his room open. "I thought I was just annoying to you most of the time."

"You are not annoying. Well, some of the time you are, but s am I," Triton sighed, lifting Percy onto the trunk at the end of his bed and helped him out of his tunic. "I should tell you more, but I am hardly a person who excels with _feelings_. Just remember you are my little brother and I would die for you without a thought."

"No dying," he protested, suddenly looking very young as his lip quivered. "Are mother and father angry with me?"

"No." Triton helped him tug off his boots, tossing them over beside the wardrobe. "They are angry with Rhode. By Olympus, Percy, you could set the palace on fire and they would not get angry with you."

"The palace is underwater," Percy pointed out with a giggle as he pulled on the nightshirt his brother handed him.

"And you are a smart aleck," Triton countered with a grin, pouncing on his brother and tickling him mercilessly. They rolled around on the floor, the child's screeches high-pitched to match his older brother's deeper laugh. "Now come on, into bed," he encouraged, scooping his brother up and dumping him unceremoniously in the middle of his mattress.

"Aww," Percy whined, jutting his lip out. Triton rolled his eyes and flicked it, drawing a grin out of the little boy. He nudged Percy until he lay down on his pillows and pulled the comforter up, tucking it around the boy's form.

"Sleep well, little brother. I will see you in the morning." Triton bent to kiss the top of his brother's head, noting with a soft smile that Percy was already half asleep.

"Night," Percy whispered, rolling over and burrowing into the softness of his bed and pillow. He was asleep before the door swung shut behind Triton.

/

Percy woke up all at once, sitting bolt upright and wondering what had woken him. A parrot fish nudged him on the temple, and he smiled at it. It would seem he had a little visitor this morning.

_Son of the sea God, son of the Sea God_, the fish was whispering in awe.

"Good morning," he told the fish pleasantly, who swam in a few rapid circles around his head and gave off a sense of happiness. He threw off his covers and scooted to the edge of his bed, making a beeline for his wardrobe and pulling off his nightshirt and socks, quickly dressing himself in normal clothes and skipping out the door. The parrot fish had already swam out the window, pleased he'd gotten to see the son of the Sea God.

A dolphin chirped at him as it swam down the hallway, and he grinned and waved as he broke into a run, headed to the dining room. He would eat breakfast, and then hurry to Triton to ask for help putting his armor on, and then he could do his absolute favorite thing: sword training with his brother. And later this afternoon, father was supposed to help him practice manipulating the currents.

"Mama," he called out as he raced into the dining room, "do you know where my armor is?"

He looked around quickly, but who he had assumed was his mother was in fact Rhode. Percy froze, remembering his brother's words from last night, his expression now wary.

"Oh, _you_," Rhode sneered, looking down her nose at him. One of the servants frowned at her, not appreciating the attitude towards the young prince, especially because Percy's feelings were obviously hurt.

Percy swallowed and looked around, but this morning he had actually beaten his parents and brother to breakfast for a change. He wished that Triton was here with him; he didn't know Rhode but he knew that for some reason she hated him.

"What part of the surface world do you come from then, spawn?"

"Atlantis," he responded in a confused voice, edging towards the door. "Elith, do you know where my father is?" he asked the servant.

"He was called away last night; there is unusual activity far in the north. He went with one of the merman generals to see if this is an act of Oceanus," Elith told him softly and with a kind smile, trying to urge him with her eyes to ignore the vindictive princess.

"Oh," he said in a small voice. "And mother?"

"She is present at the newest Longfin child's birth celebration for the moment and should return shortly. The child was a boy who was born late last night and he is healthy."

"Bill has a brother?" Percy grinned, momentarily distracted. "Awesome!"

"Indeed," the servant smiled, drifting towards the kitchens. "I will return with your breakfast in a moment, young prince."

Percy wanted to ask her to not leave him alone with his sister, but held his tongue. His uneasiness increased when the servant vanished, and he began to silently pray to his father that Triton would appear any moment.

"So, the half-breed," Rhode said coldly, her lips curling into a cruel smile. "I am surprised you have not run away yet."

He held his silence, his unease increasing to something like fear.

"Well, half-breed, can you speak or not?"

"Stop calling me that," he said. "Triton says it does not matter what I am."

"Oh, but you _are_ a half-breed, and it does matter."

"Not to mother. Not to father. Certainly not to Triton," he countered as he edged closer to the door.

"Oh? And what about the part where you are a bastard?"

Percy frowned. He didn't know what that meant, and it frustrated him.

Rhode scowled and crossed her arms. "How far our line has fallen, allowing a Demigod half-breed brat in Atlantis. I never thought I would see a half-human in the position of _power_, especially a child who shares no blood with the Queen of Atlantis!"

He faltered just inside the doorway staring at her. "What?" he whispered.

"Did you not know?" Rhode said with false sincerity. "Oh, you poor thing." Her lips curled into a malicious smirk. "You did not even know that Amphitrite is not your mother, how tragic."

"She is!" Percy shouted, the volume catching Rhode off guard. Tears glistened in the boy's eyes. "She is my mother!"

"Not by blood," she taunted. "You belong on the surface world. You are not one of us."

"I am!" he yelled, clenching his small hands into fists.

Rhode laughed, her eyes glittering like a sea snake's. "You are a whelp. You are only here because father's heart would not allow him to abandon you after uncle murdered your mother with his lightning bolt."

Percy faltered, staring at her in horror. "My mother is alive and well," he countered in a shaking voice.

"Your mother is buried on the surface. She is not _your _mother, you whelp. She is _mine_, mine and Triton's!"

There was a sharp tug just below Percy's navel. With a yell, his temper exploded. Rhode slammed into the wall and fell, unconscious, but Percy didn't notice. He ran blindly from the room, tears streaming down his face as his breath came in quick gasps. He went straight for his room, questions pounding in his head as he went over what Rhode had told him. Since his mother and father were not there, he needed to talk to someone else, someone who would _know_.

He dug through his sock drawer, pulling out the old wool socks Aphros had knitted him that didn't fit anymore. The pearl was still there. It glimmered in his palm as Percy sank against the wall and curled his knees up to his chest. Was Rhode right? Was his mother his mother, or was she not? He did not know but he was starting to get afraid that Rhode was telling the truth. Why else would Triton have insisted that it hardly mattered, but not answer his question?

Wiping his tears on his shirt, Percy stared down at the pearl, rubbing his thumb against its shimmering surface. He clenched it in his fist and started when he felt it crush in his grasp. His eyes widened, and before he could even blink, the world around him dissolved.

Percy made a terrified sound as the world around him vanished. When he opened his eyes again, it felt a lot hotter. Shaking, he looked around, noting he was on the bank of a filthy river. The colors were all weird—where was the faint shimmer of light coming through the water, the blue and green tinge to everything, the kelp gardens flowing in the gentle currents? Everything here looked so . . . _orange_.

_Where am I_? he thought desperately. This was certainly _not _home.

He was standing beside dirty water. He backed away from it quickly and jumped nearly a foot when he heard a deep rumbling growl behind him. The little boy spun around and felt more tears start to leak down his face. Some kind of gate was in front of him, and there were two lines of people with signs over them but he couldn't read them because the letters got all scrambled. There were two creepy looking guys guarding the entrance and he could have sworn they were skeletons.

And of course, a gigantic three-headed black dog that seemed to somewhat fade in and out of his vision.

Terror arched through him as he stumbled backwards and away from it. The dog looked just as surprised to see him as he was to see it, but at present he was too scared to realize that. Cerberus sniffed the air, recognized the scent of the angry man who had come to visit once before. The scent was so strong on the boy that it elicited a sharp whine at the memory.

Teeth clacking together and rattling, one of the skeletons moved towards him, a strange device pointed at him.

Percy skittered sideways, avoiding the lines of people, wanting to cry harder when he realized he had just put himself between the skeleton and the dog who was continuing to growl above him. Terrified, he could only watch as the skeleton thing got nearer and he backed up closer and closer to the monster.

When the skeleton reached for him, Percy ducked, spun, and bolted. He couldn't go forward, and he couldn't go sideways, so he went the only way he could go—straight between the dog's legs and through the gate, skidding to a halt a few feet within.

It was hot here, and dry, and there was screaming a fields of endless people roaming aimlessly and a gigantic looking palace in the distance. All of which appeared to be cast in the glow of flames.

A hand on his shoulder made him jerk and scream, twisting away from the skeleton and sprinting towards the palace, tripping on the surface and skinning his knees and elbows when he landed. He could hear the rattling of the thing behind him, could feel his heart pounding so hard that it felt like it was going to burst from his chest. He felt weak, weaker than he ever had before. His head was pounding and he just wanted to go _home_.

Sobbing, he ran from the skeleton. He ran from the dog. He ran from everything.

There were more skeletons coming, running towards him brandishing all kinds of weapons. He froze, realizing they were coming at him from all sides, and hugged himself because he didn't stand a chance. He didn't have any weapons or amour, and could only watch as they drew closer.

Percy realized suddenly that he was in the Underworld, he _had _to be. It looked just like the pictures he had learned about. Swallowing, he watched the skeletons get ever nearer. It took him by surprise when they stopped suddenly, their heads tipped back.

Dreading what he was about to see, Percy followed their gaze and barely held back his cry of terror.

/

**E/N**: EHEHEHEHE CLIFFHANGER…. I AM SATAN HEAR ME ROAR. Not really. Sorry, it's a Tumblr thing. Hope y'all enjoyed it.

Don't worry. Hades will be in the next chapter. Any guesses on what Percy saw that made him so scared?

Expect Pt. III sometime next week at the earliest. I know you guys want me to update this quicker, but I only have 3 weeks plus finals until I am done with this semester and I am currently drowning in final projects and essays. Love you all dearly!

**Reviews are always loved!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: ** Okay. I've got some stuff to say here that I really don't want to say, but I need to say it anyway.

_**LISTEN UP, YOU SELECT LITTLE CRETINS WHO HAVE BEEN HARRASSING ME THROUGH PMs AND REVIEWS.**_

I am going into my junior year of college and currently taking summer courses that have me in class from 7am to 6pm with NO BREAKS except for the bathroom when our professors are feeling merciful.

This is a story I post because I like to, not because I _have _to. One click and it gets deleted, and let me tell you I am literally four seconds away from deleting this story altogether. I am sick to God of people sending me rude PMs, giving me rude reviews, and frankly, I do not appreciate the select little _nitwits _who have actually **THREATENED MY LIFE OVER A STUPID STORY ON _THE INTERNET_**.

You have _got _to be kidding me.

In conclusion, I don't give a monkey's left butt cheek if you guys want me to post _right this second or else_. I post when I want to and when I have time to, and not a doggone second before. _**You get me**_**?**

**You had better. **

***** EDIT: I am being serious. ****STOP threatening me over a story, it's not worth it. News flash, the police have ways of tracking your IP address, you know.**** It's called CYBERCRIME. Harassment and threats are something they take seriously.  
(To clear up confusion, this is aimed specifically towards four people who will remain unnamed that messaged me threatening to harm me or end my life over this story. One of said people went far enough to track me to my state and city and then threaten to kill me. It was more than a little scary and very far beyond okay.)  
**

Respect is a two-way street. Respect me and this story and the fact that I have a life, and that family, friends, and school come _way _before this story, and in return, I will respect _you_. Patience is a virtue, so please try to practice it else you ruin it for everyone else. I understand that you guys just want to know what happens next but there is a _line _and more than one person has crossed it.

* * *

**To those awesome, lovely, perfect people who have done nothing but be encouraging and patient with me, I am so, so, **_**so **_**sorry that you've had to wait this long. I dedicate this chapter to those lovely, warm people who keep a smile on a face and make me finish up these chapters so that I can read your witty, wonderful reviews. Please ignore everything above because it absolutely, positively, 500% DOES NOT apply to you. I love you all dearly and I thank you for your constant encouragement that inspires me to do better with each passing chapter. Without you, this story wouldn't be possible, so THANK YOU BUNCHES. I ADORE YOU ALL TO PIECES! I hope that you guys love it as much as I loved writing it!**

* * *

**Disclaimer**: Not mine – they all belong to Rick Riordan!

* * *

/

**Chapter Twelve  
**Rhode: Part III

Percy's scream caught in his throat. Above him was a horrible creature with a cruel hag-like face, leathery wings, sharp talons, and pointed yellow teeth. It dove at him with a terrible sound coming from its throat.

Going on instinct, he dove to the hot earth and covered his head and neck with his skinny arms. His movements were slow, sluggish, uncoordinated. His body felt heavy, weak. It was too hot, too dry, and he could barely think straight through the strange fatigue and his building fear.

A scream of pain tore from his throat when talons cut deeply into the flesh of his right shoulder blade and back. Dizziness descended on him viciously, making his vision swim and his head pound.

Warm wetness spread down his back. He dizzily rolled over and staggered to his feet, his right arm hanging limply at his side. A trickle of moisture ran down the side of his head, and he touched at it absently with his good hand. His fingers came away stained with blood, a sight that only made his dizziness increase as he swayed on his feet. Strangely the whole side of his face felt wet too.

"Well, well, what have we here?" the creature sneered, landing with a dull thump and looking down at him. It sniffed the air deeply and cackled madly. "A Demigod child, lost in the Underworld? How did you get past Charon and Cerberus, you little cretin? What shall I do with you? Shall I tear you to shreds, eat you, or both?"

Percy's ears were ringing. He stared blankly at the creature, no longer really seeing her as his vision doubled and blurred. The pounding in his head increased as he started to shake. The thing's mouth was moving, but he could neither hear the words nor make them out. In a detached sort of fashion he realized the thing was talking to _him_.

Strange.

All he could think was _Uncle Hades, Uncle Hades, Uncle Hades._

He coughed wetly as his dizziness increased, his vision whiting at the edges. Staggering more, he fell to one knee and hunched over to touch the earth in an effort to steady himself. If anything it only made him dizzier.

The ringing in his ears had lessened and in its place was a cacophony of noise.

The skeleton guards were clacking their teeth together in some sort of chattering speech. The creature was yelling at him in a screechy voice as screams echoed from the Fields of Punishment where figures were being openly tortured. Cerberus' deep bark joined in and was so loud and deep it was shaking dust from the ceiling high above them.

Percy tried to stand but couldn't. All he could focus on was thinking his uncle's name over and over. Unbeknownst to him he started to say it aloud in a hitching voice, a constant stream of, "_Uncle Hades, Uncle Hades, Uncle Hades._"

"_Uncle_ Hades?" the thing repeated, pausing in its threats for a moment to frown down at the dark-haired child. "How dare you address the Lord of the Dead in such a way, you sniveling whelp of a half-blood fre— "

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF TARTARUS IS GOING ON HERE," a terrible, furious voice thundered, easily outstripping Cerberus in volume and sending more dust and dirt cascading down from the ceiling miles above them.

That voice caused instinctual fear to curl in Percy's gut. It was a voice that he _knew _he should be afraid of, but it was also a voice he recognized. He managed to get to his feet, swaying dangerously as he choked out, "_Uncle Hades_!"

He couldn't see. Something thick filled his eyes, obscured his vision. Hands out in front of him, he blindly moved towards the voice, blinking furiously in an effort to see something other than blurry vague shapes swirling in red.

Quicker than a blink hands caught him under the arms, holding him upright. Percy panicked slightly, flailing desperately as he tried to wipe the stuff out of his eyes, but he was getting even more sluggish by the second. He coughed, and then he went limp and knew nothing.

/

Hades had just left his palace only to find that some kind of ruckus had begun in his kingdom. Growling low in his throat, he abruptly changed directions and stalked across his domain, wincing as Cerberus joined in the bedlam and caused dust and dirt to rain down on his head. Gritting his teeth, he moved through the ranks of skeleton soldiers who bowed out of his way and shrank down to normal size while he was at it to minimize the potential future damage.

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF TARTARUS IS GOING ON HERE," he thundered furiously as he made it through the last rank of soldiers and finally saw what all the fuss was about.

What he found was the last thing he could have expected: Alecto standing over a small, kneeling, dark-haired child, and not just _any_ dark-haired child. A dark-haired child so familiar he actually froze in place, utter shock permeating his being. Before he could say a word, Percy cried, "Uncle Hades!" and ran at him.

On reflex, he reached down to steady the child, and could do nothing as his nephew appeared to lose his battle with consciousness.

To say Hades was annoyed would be the understatement of the century. To say he was surprised to see Kelp Brain's Demigod son _here _—in the Underworld of all places— would be the understatement of the _millennium._

His nephew was covered in blood. Frowning, he lifted the boy up to eye level and carefully assessed his injuries: a deep gash on his right shoulder blade, three smaller slashes where Alecto's claws had gripped his ribs, and a decent cut on his forehead that had given the child a mask of red. Percy's skin was far paler than it should have been, so pale it was almost sickly, and he trembled in his grasp.

Internally, Hades wished he could just toss the kid into the pit of Tartarus. That way, he wouldn't have to face a severely ticked off Barnacle Beard or face possible war (again). Though in hindsight, he doubted Barnacle Beard would appreciate him throwing his kid into Tartarus any more than he would appreciate the fact that Alecto had apparently maimed him. He resigned himself to the fact that Poseidon would no doubt cause another hurricane and kill a bunch more people until he got his temper back under control after this mess was over.

"Let me finish him off, Lord."

Hades pulled the boy against him before he could think about how the action would be perceived and shot his famous glare at his servant. Alecto positively cowered under the force of his rage, shrinking downwards and away from him in shock.

"Alecto," he snarled, ignoring the flames increasing their potency in reaction to his anger, "_what have you done_?"

"The demigod was not supposed to be here. I thought you would want it disposed of — "

"YOU THOUGHT WRONG," he thundered, stomping his foot down for emphasis hard enough to make the earth tremble beneath them. "You have _no idea _what you have just done, Alecto. By the Gods if he tries to _stab you with his trident_, I will NOT be stopping him!"

Alecto swallowed, hard, and stared up at her furious master. "T—Trident, my Lord?" she stammered. It only took a moment for her to connect the dots. A trident, a dark-haired child who reeked of the sea, and who just so happened to be a demigod. Not just any demigod child, either, but _Poseidon's _demigod child, she realized.

And Hades was very, very angry. She gulped; Persephone was with her mother, so there would be absolutely zero chance of soothing his temper any time in the near future.

"Get water," he ordered harshly. "Tell no one what you have seen today, and do not mention this boy to anyone. _Ever_. Do you understand me?"

Bobbing her head, Alecto rushed off to do his bidding.

"Get lost," he barked at the soldiers, who scurried away. "Cerberus, will you CEASE YOUR RACKET," he shouted in the direction of the gates. The dog gave one last mournful whine before he fell silent. Muttering under his breath about pandemonium and annoying family relations he wished he could feed to his apparently useless so-called 'guard dog', he scooped Percy up in his arms and moodily carried him back to the palace. He settled him in what would have been Nico's room, had the boy been allowed to live normally instead of being cooped up in the Lotus Hotel for the past few decades.

Shuffling mournfully, Alecto came with the water he had demanded. Hades wordlessly snatched it from her and unceremoniously dumped it on his nephew, watching as the wounds immediately started to heal and the blood was washed away. He wiped away what was left with the cloths.

"Get nectar and ambrosia," he snapped, not even looking to watch Alecto scurry from the room. When she returned he snappishly ordered her to be quiet and stand there in case he needed her while he tried to figure out how to contact his brother, who would no doubt he having an epic conniption fit when he discovered his son was missing. He judged it would happen any time now.

Percy's color improved after the nectar, but he remained still. At least he was breathing, Hades mused. One less thing Barnacle Beard would want to kill him for. He remained lost in thought for quite some time, pondering how on earth he was supposed to contact his brother without access to a rainbow, and was so distracted he didn't notice when his nephew woke up.

With a yelp, Percy sat bolt upright and didn't seem to notice him in the shadow beside his bed. He only saw Alecto just inside the doorway, and with eyes as wide as saucers he scrambled away from her, falling gracelessly off the edge of the bed.

Rolling his eyes, Hades deftly caught and steadied him before he could hit the ground and _further _injure himself. Percy flinched out of his hold with a loud gasp, spinning and bumping into the edge of the bed, before he blinked a few times and stared up at him dumbly for a long moment before exhaling in relief and launching himself at the Lord of the Underworld.

Hades blinked when Percy impacted his chest hard enough to cause a soft grunt. Those tiny arms locked around his chest in a vice grip far stronger than any normal seven-year-old boy's. He held his arms up and away awkwardly as his nephew buried his face in his chest and trembled, but didn't say a word or cry. After a long moment, he hesitantly lowered his arms to wrap them loosely around the frightened child.

"You are safe, Percy," he said, not sure what in the name of Tartarus he was supposed to do. He didn't _comfort _people; he was the God of the Dead, for the love of Olympus! It wasn't in his job description to do all this emotional nonsense.

"'m scared," he mumbled, voice barely legible through the fabric of his robes.

He ventured to guess the boy would probably be _more _scared when he saw the detail of suffering souls on his robes and fervently hoped he'd keep his eyes closed for the time being. Gods forbid he scare the child further after his servant had nearly killed the boy, it would just be another reason for Fish Breath to impale him with his trident.

"You are safe," he repeated gruffly, motioning for Alecto to leave them immediately. "Alecto will not harm you again."

"Who's Alecto?" Percy asked, and Hades was relieved to notice the child had ceased his trembling and loosened his vice grip.

Slightly.

"Alecto is my servant," he explained, deciding to talk to him like any other fully grown being. He never could understand why humans talked to their offspring as if they were incompetent fools. "She will not be harming you again, you have my word."

Percy loosened his arms a little more and looked up at him with tear-filled sea-green eyes. "What is she?" he wondered curiously.

"Alecto is one of the Furies, Percy."

"Oh."

Hades had nothing to say to that, so he remained silent.

"How come she attacked me?" Percy asked, wiggling a little and shifting around until he was sitting sideways on his lap. Not for the first time, Hades was extremely taken aback at how fearless this child was. It was shocking that Percy would choose _him _of all people for comfort or physical contact. Everyone and everything else more or less avoided him like the plague.

"She thought you were trespassing, which brings me to my next point," he said briskly, standing and setting the boy's feet on the ground to mask his discomfort, "How in the name of Olympus did you get here?"

"You dropped a pearl-looking thing," Percy explained, ducking his head. "Last sowstice," he added, since Hades was staring at him blankly.

"Solstice," Hades corrected automatically.

"Solstice," he dutifully repeated. "I picked it up. My sister Rhode came to Atlantis, and she said some mean things, and I did not know who to ask cuz Papa was looking into something and Mama went somewhere and Triton was busy doing Hades-knows-what. So I thought of you."

Hades blinked yet again, surprised at the expression, at how freely the boy said his name. He raised an eyebrow and Percy blushed, avoiding his gaze. Curse it all, he _had _dropped a pearl, an experimental traveling system he had been toying with at the time.

"And what did you want to ask me, Percy?" he wondered, resigning himself to his fate.

Percy shifted uncomfortably, absently plucking at his shirt as he bit his lip and tried to figure out how to word it. Hades bit back the impulse to intimidate it out of him and instead stood there without moving, hands on his hips, one eyebrow raised expectantly.

"What's a bastard?" he said finally, in a very small voice that wavered in such a way Hades knew it threatened tears.

Oh, boy. _This_ conversation. It was his turn to bite his lip as he pondered the best way to respond. "It, um, means that you were born out of wedlock," he said carefully, wincing internally as the words left his mouth.

Tears forgotten, Percy stared up at him, his entire face scrunching. Frustrated, he said, "What's _wedlock_?"

"I think this is a conversation better left for your parents," Hades decided, not willing to wade into these dangerous waters. _One _wrong word, one wrong implication, and Poseidon would have yet another reason to impale him with a trident, and his brother's patience and temper were not something he was keen on testing.

Shoulders slumping in defeat, Percy sighed and mumbled, "Okay." He sniffed and rubbed the end of his nose before blurting, "'m hungry."

Hades shoulders slumped slightly as well, though his was in relief. "Well, now that we have that settled, let us go find some ambrosia for you to snack on." A grin slowly spread over his nephew's face as he realized something, and it was a devious expression that immediately put Hades on the alert. He immediately started to rewind through their conversation to see if he'd said something he shouldn't have.

"You called me by my name," said Percy with awe tinting his voice.

Reeling at the sudden shift in conversation, he bit back the urge to sigh. So much or hoping the little brat wouldn't notice, he mused.

"I did not," he sniffed, looking down his nose at the child.

"Did too," Percy countered with a cheeky grin. "You called me Percy _three times_, Uncle Hades, I heard you. Usually you call me Patrick or Peter or Palmer and pretend you do not remember it, but you called me Percy. You _do_ know my name, Uncle Hades."

Exhaling loudly through his nose, Hades strode from the room and huffed, "I have no idea what you are talking about, Preston."

Percy just giggled some more and hurried to catch up with him, reaching up to hold his hand, squeezing it tightly even though Hades didn't squeeze back. The little boy wasn't deterred. He was too busy leaning into Hades' side as they walked, his wide eyes taking in all the details of his uncle's palace. He gave Hades' hand a little tug and asked, "Uncle Hades, how am I gonna get home?"

"We will figure something out," Hades assured him absently, his mind trying to figure that 'something' out. He supposed he could just shadow-travel him back to Atlantis, but Poseidon would not be expecting him and that always ran the risk of him potentially drowning or, you know, getting him swallowed whole by a blue whale or something equally large and nasty (not that it would kill him, of course, it would just be mildly annoying).

"The colors are all wrong here," Percy observed, skipping a step to keep up with Hades' long stride. He had no idea where they were going, but he followed him anyway. "Everything is really _orange_."

"That is because you have only ever lived underwater, and so you are used to a world tinged in green and blue," explained Hades with far more patience than he would have thought possible.

"Oh. Is that why I feel so funny?"

That gave Hades pause. He stopped walking so abruptly Percy ran into his leg. The last thing he needed was for the shrimp to pass out on him on top of everything _else _that Poseidon would want to impale him for. "How do you feel?" he demanded sharply, so sharply that Percy leaned slightly away from him in surprise and stared up at him with wide eyes.

"I feel funny," Percy repeated, frowning as he tried to think of a good way to explain it. "Kinda like 'm half asleep," he said slowly, "or like when I stand up too fast and get all wobbly and mama scolds me."

Hades frowned. "I assume that is because you have lived in _water _all your life, and there is no water here," he sighed, waving his hand around them for emphasis. "We are underground, but in open air. No water here. Water is your father's domain. Water gives you strength. Without water, you just have a normal body."

"Oh," Percy said again, swinging their hands absently.

Percy still had not let go even though Hades was not grasping his hand in return. Internally, he groaned; if any of the Furies saw this they would not let him live it down for _centuries._

Hades sighed and went back to pondering how in the name of Olympus he was going to get out of this mess unscathed, and how in the name of Olympus he was supposed to figure out why his nephew had come to _him_, because that would require him to act like he _cared_.

If Hades had been an honest person, he would have admitted to himself that it frightened him how much his brother's child seemed to trust him. It was something no other being had really done before, not with such open innocence and abandon. No one had ever just accepted him at the drop of a hat, at least, not until Perseus Jackson.

"Curse you, Fish Breath," he muttered under his breath, a headache starting as Percy continued to prattle on about what he'd been learning from Carthos, "for having an offspring as _annoying as you are_."

"What was that, Uncle Hades?"

Hades harrumphed grumpily.

"Nothing, nothing at all. Come on, shrimp, you need to eat some more ambrosia and then I need to figure out how in the name of Olympus I am going to get you back to the ocean without your father impaling me with his trident or sending an army of Cyclopes after me . . .maybe if he's in a good mood he will also refrain from sending a bunch of narwhals to turn me into a pincushion . . ."

Percy laughed aloud at the mental image, the loud belly laugh of a child who had just heard something that was the height of hilarity, and if anyone had been around they would have been astonished to see the so-called scariest god fighting back a grin until he lost the battle and a wide grin spread across his face as a deep chuckle joined the little boy's.

They made quite the pair, striding purposefully through the palace of black and bronze, shimmering in the torchlight, one tall and lithe, the other small and innocent, both with midnight black hair and pale skin. With the boy's tiny hand clasped firmly in Hades' larger one, they made an image of Demigod and God that had never been seen before, and would likely never be seen again.

Percy switched to a skipping gate and swung their hands as the God of the Dead tried to pretend he didn't enjoy the little boy's company.

/

**E/N**: This is now in 4, possibly 5, parts because I need to get back to actual schoolwork. I had no time to edit this before posting it so please don't hesitate to PM me with a correction so that I can fix it. Thanks guys, have a great weekend!


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